0007
by TheInsouciant
Summary: Follow the journey of Erin as she takes the 287th Hunter exam to find more clues as to who she really is. She will unravel the mystery of her past as she starts to form a bond of an unlikely friendship she never intended to have, and discover how her unknown past might just intertwine with theirs. (Slow Romance)
1. 1

**Disclaimer: **I do not own hunterxhunter. All characters and plot of the said manga/anime is under the intellectual property of Yoshihiro Togashi. This is a work of pure fiction whereas names, OC's, places, or events are products of the author's imagination. If there is any resemblance to actual/real persons, places, or events, then it is pure coincidence. Furthermore, I do not own the cover image and give full credit to whoever owns it.

* * *

Case File  
1.04.2008  
Dr. Navi Riche

The needed classified information regarding the military movements of the Khamat troops has been successfully acquired by 0007. There were no errors with the procedure as the operation was discreet and resulted with no casualties or witnesses. 0007 has shown exceptional manipulation skills with how the information was obtained without resorting to any violence or physical torture. As of now, 0007 has not shown any signs of deficiencies with the skillset needed from a Sparrow. Further and careful observation will be done.

Mission Status: Completed

* * *

Volume 1: Chapter 1

The Storm

"I'm going to be the best hunter in the world! And if I do, I'll definitely come back!" the boy in green shouted.

He was completely oblivious to the mocking laughs of the many gruff men on the ship when he loudly and proudly claimed to the whole island that he was to become the best hunter in the world. He continued to wave both of his arms to the people cheering him on and bidding him farewell at Whale Island's shipping dock.

As the island slowly grew smaller with the ship sailing away, the boy turned around from the edge of the ship's deck and was met with glares from the men who tried to intimidate him, telling him the obvious risks of being a hunter and that he should go home since the Hunter exam is no place for kids.

While walking past the men, he remained unfazed by their remarks and continued to observe his surroundings. Eventually, he noticed a sailor being maltreated by his fellow crew members. The boy witnessed him being kicked from the behind causing him to drop the box of apples he was carrying. The bullies laughed while the poor sailor struggled to pick up the apples that fell from the box and with the loud commotion that they have caused, their captain finally emerged from his cabin.

"What are you idiots doin'?!" he scolded them, "Get your asses back to work!"

"Yes sir!" the men said in unison and immediately scuttled away in fear of their captain.

The captain eyed the sailor picking up the apples and became irritated of his slow pace. "What did I just say? I said get back to work! Move!"

The man on the floor immediately quickened his pace, and in his panic he missed two apples. The boy who saw the whole scene play out noticed this and picked up one of the apples that rolled near to him. He was about to pick up the other apple when a girl beat him to it.

"Excuse me."

The man with the box of apples stopped and turned to the girl that called out. For some reason that he couldn't point out, her striking appearance and demeanor made him fidget a little. Her stare made him quite uncomfortable, and he wouldn't feel that way if her whole appearance didn't resemble a doll. She had ginger red hair that was tied in an updo bun with a few curly strands left hanging and her skin was as white and pale as a porcelain doll. Good thing that her clothes kind of toned down her doll-like aura since they were mostly military clothing. She was wearing a loose gray sweater, with sleeves that were folded around her wrists, it was inserted in her dark olive green shorts that was held up by a black leather belt, along with black combat boots.

"You missed one," She said to the sailor then gently placed the apple inside the box. The thought of having another kid around the same age as the boy excited him since back on the island, he didn't really have friends who were within his age gap.

"Here's another one!" the boy called out and threw the apple that landed inside the box.

"Ah. T-thank you!" the sailor bowed his head in embarrassment and rushed off to do his work.

The girl turned around to find bright eyes staring back at her. She simply gave the boy a soft smile and subtly nodded at him in greeting while he smiled back at her despite of the dull way she greeted him. In that short moment, shorter than a second, he immediately noticed how peculiar her eyes were. Their color was somewhere between the shades of green and gray, though that wasn't what he was noticing, what caught his attention was how intense her gaze was despite of the approachable and polite demeanor she had around her, and after that small moment, it immediately disappeared.

The boy snapped out of whatever that made him froze for a fraction of a second as he noticed she started to walk away, his eyes still on her, wondering about the reason why she was on the ship and off to take the hunter exam just like him. He assumed she would have the same intention since most of the passengers were exam applicants. After all, if a young girl like her would be taking the hunter exam, there must be some reason behind it, just like how he had one, which was finding his dad and figuring out what made him desire to be a hunter so much that he had to leave his son behind. While getting lost in his thoughts, the girl suddenly tripped on a slightly broken wooden floorboard.

"Woah! Careful there!" Thinking that she would fall flat on her face, the boy immediately grabbed her right arm and helped her steady herself.

She turned around, looked at him and bowed her head slightly. "Thank you."

""Don't mention it," He let go of her arm and continued the conversation. The polite smile she gave the boy was more than enough to motivate him into wanting to befriend her. After all, so far she was the only person on the ship who seemed to be close to his age. "I'm Gon! What's your name?" he asked with a wide grin on his face.

"Erin," she replied with less enthusiasm. "Are you here to take the Hunter exam?" she asked with a soft smile, not out of curiosity, but out of politeness.

"Yeah! You too?"

She simply replied with a nod and extended her hand to him. "Then I hope we get along. It's nice to meet you."

Gon smiled at her widely and accepted the greeting by shaking her hand, obviously enthusiastic with his new friend, "Nice to meet you too!"

He was about to say something else when the sound of seagulls interrupted him. Gon looked up just for a second then looked back at Erin. His grin disappeared from his face and was replaced with worry.

"A storm is coming." His remark wasn't just directed to her but also to the captain who apparently witnessed the whole scene.

The captain was intrigued by what the boy said and raised his eyebrow in question, "How do you know that, boy?"

He walked to the pair of kids and looked at Gon, waiting for any proof of his claim. Immediately, he moved his focus to the girl who answered the question for him

"Is that what the seagulls tell you?"

Gon looked at her in surprise, "Yeah! How did you know?"

She blinked and paused for a moment, her face still unreadable. "You can call it instincts."

"Wow, that's cool!" Gon genuinely complimented her and looked purely amazed.

"Or you can just call it observing."

"Eh?"

"Oh. Look, they're getting more erratic," Erin pointed out, quickly changing the topic, while looking up towards the seagulls circling above.

Gon, with his eyes closed, sniffed at the air. He quickly opened his eyes like he caught something alarming then proceeded to jump on the deck's border and quickly climbed to the ship's bird nest with fast consecutive jumps which surprised the captain.

After a few seconds, Gon's head suddenly popped into view.

"This is bad!" he shouted at the two who were waiting below. "A huge storm is coming!" At that moment, the boy reminded the captain of someone and this made him curious. He wasn't quite sure yet if this boy was who he thought he was. Unfortunately, this wasn't the time to try and remember stuff as he had more important things to take care of. Pushing his thoughts away, he instructed Gon and Erin to go below deck with the other applicants and wait till the storm passed, then quickly walked away.

Gon jumped from the bird's nest and landed effortlessly near where Erin was standing.

"Let's go together Erin!"

"Sure," She replied with the same soft and polite smile she always used.

A few hours later, the storm took over the sea and engulfed the ship in its terror. The ship rocked hardly to all sides, trying to withstand the powerful waves and winds crashing towards it, showing no mercy to all passengers on board the ship.

* * *

"So, you must be wondering why I've called the four of you here. First off, what are your names?" the captain asked.

"I'm Gon!"

"Leorio."

"I'm Kurapika."

"I'm Erin."

The boy in green, the man in the suit, the blonde teenager, and the petite girl all introduced themselves respectively, with Gon being the only one who seemed enthusiastic.

The captain took another whiff at his pipe then exhaled, "So," he continued, "Why do you want to become hunters?"

"Oi! Do you think we're that stupid?!" The man in the suit, Leorio, spoke up rather rudely and pointed at the captain in the same manner. "We won't tell you something personal that easily!"

"I'm looking for my dad!"

"Everyone's attention was on the boy that spoke up, who still managed to genuinely smile in the tense situation. "My dad's a hunter, that's why I want to become one too and find my dad!"

With what Gon said, the captain's assumption on his identity had been confirmed.

_'I knew it, this boy is Ging's son!'_

"Oi! What do you think you're doing kid?!" Leorio's voice blared out as he scolded Gon, "Why are you answering his question?!"

"Why? Is there something wrong about it?"

Leorio sighed and rubbed his temples, "Not a team player huh? You shouldn't just – "

"As for me captain, I want to become a hunter because I'm looking for someone," the redheaded girl said, clearly cutting off whatever Leorio had to say.

"Hey! Don't just cut me off! I was talking here!"

Erin turned to him with the most amiable and innocent smile she had to offer, "I'm sorry Leorio-san, I didn't mean to offend you."

And with that sudden expression of peace, Leorio was taken aback. He didn't expect her to counter his aggressive behavior with the way she acted and she seemed so respectful.

"But I was only having a conversation with the captain," she continued, "Whereas you were having one with Gon. In other words, you and I aren't included in the same conversation so I wasn't necessarily cutting you off. I just initiated a proper discussion with the captain not like the uncivilized ones that some people do,"

She eyed Leorio but nonetheless, Erin's expression remained the same the whole time she talked– something that clearly contradicted the blunt words she used and their implications. In fact, almost everyone in the room – except Gon due to his lacking knowledge on social cues – was quite confused with what Erin meant with those words and what her intentions were.

"W-what are you trying to say?!" Leorio aggressively asked and stomped a foot forward towards her. In the end, he still took everything she said as an insult and he felt like she was mocking him behind that pretty little smile of hers.

The captain just sighed at the angry man, clearly tired of all the shit he was causing, and went back to talking with Erin.

"So, who is this person you're looking for, girl?"

"In all honesty," she started.

"Oi! Are you guys ignoring me now?!" Leorio shouted.

"I don't know who this person is, or to be more precise, I have no clue as to who this person is," Erin finished.

Everyone went silent.

_'Is she really taking this seriously?' _Kurapika thought to himself. He was already getting irritated by all the racket that Leorio caused. With how confusing this girl was, it wasn't really helping in simmering down his growing impatience.

"I-I see," the captain stuttered, confusion clearly plastered on his face, "Then how are you going to find someone you have no clue about?"

"That's why I'm here captain," Erin replied, "To find clues." For a moment, the corner of her small smile tugged up just a little bit, and in the captain's eyes she almost looked like she was smirking.

"Fair enough," He said and mentally sighed.

_'I can't get a read on this girl and I'm too old for these kind of mind fuckery games. I'll just accept that reason and leave her be.'_

"And the rest of you?" the captain asked.

"There's no way in hell I'm telling you anything! It's suspicious!" Leorio bursted out.

"I agree with Leorio," the blonde boy spoke up.

"Oi! That's Leorio-SAN to you!"

Kurapika ignored him then explained how he could not say something so personal and that lying would just taint his honor.

In hearing the blonde boy's explanation, Erin couldn't help but laugh inside, for she knew too well that if you chose to take a path of revenge, there would be no guarantee for you to keep your precious honor pure. Still, she kept on her usual expression.

The captain sighed, "Very well, Katsuo!"

"Yes sir!" it was the sailor that Gon and Erin helped earlier.

"Notify the board that we have two more dropouts this year.

"What?!" Leorio and Kurapika exclaimed in unison.

Erin smirked while Gon looked confused. He leaned near to the redhead and whispered, "What does he mean?"

"It means," she whispered back, "The Hunter exam has already begun."

"The Hunter exam has already begun!" the captain said with a wide mocking grin on his face. He then went on to explain how there were people like him who were there to trim down the large number of hunter applicants and that he had all the authority to fail or pass an applicant on his ship.

Surprisingly, the room went silent for a second, then Kurapika spoke up, "I am the last survivor of the Kurta clan," he went on and explained how his clan was murdered by a band of thieves name the Phantom Troupe, and that he was resolved to hunt them down. The captain warned him of how dangerous the said murderers were and that the Kurta would just be throwing his life away. Kurapika replied that he did not fear death and that he only feared his anger would disappear over time.

"So you want revenge huh? Do you really need to become a hunter to do that?" Leorio rudely asked.

"That's the stupidest question I've ever heard, Leorio" the Kurta replied.

Erin wanted to rub her temples.

_'Indeed, it was. I wonder how this man will survive this exam.'_

Kurapika then tried to put Leorio in his place by roasting him with his explanation – there are many benefits in gaining a hunter's license, one is to gain access to classified information that is impossible to acquire through normal means.

Leorio was about to retort when Gon cut him off, "Hey Leorio-san! Why do you want to become a hunter?" His positive vibe temporarily broke off the tension./

"Me?" he leaned over the boy, "Money! Money can buy you everything! A huge mansion, cool cars, and the best liquor!"

"Money can't buy you class Leorio," Kurapika said.

The man in the suit paused and looked over the guy who just insulted him, "That's the third time. Let's take this outside," he glared at him, "I'll end the filthy Kurta bloodline here and now."

"Take that back Leorio!" the Kurta demanded the man who was walking away towards the door, "Take that back," he reciprocated Leorio's glare.

"That's Leorio-san to you."

Kurapika quickly followed the man outside and the two of them disappear from the room.

"Hey! Where are you two going? I'm not done yet!" the captain yelled.

"Let's just leave them be," Gon suggested, "My Aunt Mito always said that if you're fighting with someone and you wanted to get to know that someone, it's important to figure out why that person is angry in the first place," he smiled with reassurance, "It's better to let them figure it out themselves."

"That's good advice, Gon," Erin said and the boy just sheepishly rubbed the back of his head.

"Captain!" the sailor who was holding the ship's wheel called out with a terrified voice, "Look!"

Everyone then noticed the huge waterspout that was in the way of the ship's course.

"Move!" the captain ordered while taking over the wheel, "You kids go help the crew!" he addressed Erin and Gon.

The two nodded at each other and ran, going towards the upper deck.

* * *

"Take back what you said Leorio! If you do, then I'll forgive you!" Kurapika shouted, not minding the storm and waves crashing on the boat.

"Then I have no choice," Kurapika mumbled while pulling out weapons of his own.

Before anyone had the chance to strike first, a scream echoed out catching the attention of the two. It was Katsuo getting dragged by a rope as he held on for dear life, with great force he was whipped away, quickly passing between Kurapika and Leorio, and thrown off the boat. The two immediately acted and grabbed the edge of the ship with one hand, while reaching out to grab Katsuo with the other.

Unfortunately, they did not make it and the both of them cursed under their breaths. Suddenly, two figures leapt off of the ship with their arms extended to catch the falling sailor, it was Gon and Erin – the boy grabbed Katsuo's left arm while the redhead caught the other. In an instant, Kurapika grabbed Gon while Leorio did the same to Erin, and on a count of three they pulled them both up, and into the safety of the ship.

* * *

"What were you two thinking?!" Kurapika scolded the two kids who were sitting down on the floor, "Honestly, how reckless can you be?" he folded his arms in disapproval of their actions.

"If we weren't there to catch you guys, then both of you would've been shark bait by now!" Leorio added.

Erin lowered her head, trying to show that she was apologetic, but Gon spoke up for the both of them, "But you did," he smiled widely, "The both of you did caught us!"

Kurapika and Leorio were left dumbfounded with how simple minded the boy was.

"Y-yeah, I guess…" Leorio stuttered while leaning over in defeat of trying to reason with the boy.

Erin stood up, "Well, I guess there's that. There's no need to get so worked up uncle, you just saved someone's life," she patted Leorio's shoulder.

"Who are you calling uncle?!"

She tilted her head innocently, "With your constant demand for respect from someone younger, I just assumed you were an old man," she then gave him an angelic smile, "I apologize."

Leorio's eye twitched, "You fake little bi – "

"Gon!" a man called out – it was Katsuo, "Thank you for saving me!" he bowed and gave him the biggest smile ever.

Gon was waiting for him to thank Erin as well, but he noticed the sailor fidget a little as his eyes darted from the girl to the floor. Gon assumed that he was just embarrassed and said, "Erin also saved you!" he pointed to her with a grin, "Ah. But I guess you didn't know since you fainted,"

Katsuo looked up, "Ah! Y-yes, that must've been the case," he turned to Erin and bowed, "I apologize and thank you very much!"/

"Don't mention it," she replied.

Her voice sent cold shivers down his spine and when he looked up, she was staring at him with her usual kind expression, but her eyes said something different. All of these went unnoticed by the other three because of how subtle it was, and it seemed like you'd only notice her subtle gestures if you were the receiver. He thought he wouldn't be able to move from his frozen state but luckily, Gon started talking again, "We also didn't save you on our own, Kurapika and Leorio helped us!"

Katsuo gladly bowed at them and thanked them.

"Y-you don't have to thank us," the Kurta looked away in embarrassment.

"Y-yeah! I'm just glad you're okay!" Leorio said while rubbing the back of his neck, clearly feeling the same way Kurapika was feeling.

With that, Katsuo gave them one last smile and walked away, not daring to take another glance at Erin.

After a moment of silence, Kurapika suddenly apologized to Leorio and addressed him more respectfully which made him more embarrassed. He told the Kurta to just call him the way he was already addressing him and then apologized for his rude behavior.

"I like you guys!" the captain laughed loudly while leaning against his cabin's door, catching the attention of the whole gang, "Alright! I'll take full responsibility in taking you four to the next port where you can easily find the Hunter Exam's site!"

Leorio stood up straight and looked at the captain in shock, "Does that mean?"

"The four of you pass!"

Kurapika and Leorio smiled while Gon and Erin jumped, giving each other a high five. The laughter of the two kids filled the air as the ship calmly sailed away.

* * *

The sun was setting, and Katsuo was almost done mopping the floor of the ship's deck. He looked around and noticed that there were only a few people above deck – most were crew members who were finishing up their chores. He continued mopping, feeling very peaceful while listening to the splashing of the waves against the ship, until a certain sound made him froze – it was the sound of a person's voice.

"Hello Katsuo-san," the voice behind him said, he recognized that voice and knew who it was, even though he felt very uncomfortable he pushed himself to turn around and look at the owner of the voice.

"H-hello, Erin…" he greeted her while she nodded in reply, "Is Gon not with you?" he glanced behind her, hoping to see him accompanying her.

"No," she replied, "He's below deck still trying to help the failed applicants recover from their seasickness."

"I-I see…"

Katsuo gripped his mop and continued to do his chore, trying to ignore the disturbing vibe that Erin left on him. She just stood there and remained quiet, then suddenly started walking towards the nearest railing and leaned over it.

Katsuo couldn't take the silence so he asked, "So… What brings you up here?"

"Hmm… What do you think, Katsuo?"

The sailor continued to stare at the wooden floorboards as he mopped and mopped and mopped – not knowing how to answer her question, trying to avert his attention elsewhere, other than the growing uncomfortable sensation surrounding him. Why did he feel that way when Erin was around? His memories shifted to the time when the ship was in the middle of the storm, recalling his almost dying moments and the events that transpired beforehand – events that only he seemed to know of, but something he couldn't understand.

~ Flashback ~

_'Come on Katsuo! Get a grip on yourself!'_

The sailor urged himself as he held back the ropes supporting the ship's sails. He used every bit of strength he had, though he greatly struggled. The shouts of the crew members were blocked by the sound of raging winds and intense rain which made it more difficult for Katsuo to hold on to the rope.

_'This hurts!'_

His hands were burning and it felt like every inch of his body was aching.

_'I can't do this anymore!'_

When his limbs were about to give up, he noticed Gon slightly near to him, holding and pulling on to another rope with almost little effort. The sailor felt ashamed that he was actually thinking of giving up when there was a child doing so much more than him.

_'If Gon can do it, then so can I!'_

With a newfound strength and will, he pushed his limits and started pulling./p

Meanwhile, Erin was pulling the rope just behind Katsuo. There were only two of them on one rope and she wondered where the other crew members were.

_'Oh well, it's not like they'll contribute more than this person in front of me. That's not the problem right now though, the main problem is –'_

She glanced at Leorio and Kurapika who was about to fight then sighed.

_'How foolish, pride can only get you so far.'_

Erin wanted to ignore them but she predicted that they were probably going to stick around with Gon throughout this whole trip – Erin blamed it on the boy having some kind of magnetic power that attracted others towards his pure soul – and if that were to happen, she had to make sure that the two of them would make up. If they engage in physical combat now, then unnecessary grudges couldn't be avoided – this could result in future conflicts which would lower her and Gon's chances in finding the exam site, and eventually pass the Hunter exam.

Erin glanced back at Kurapika and Leorio which looked like they weren't going to make amends soon without any intervention. She clicked her tongue in annoyance.

_'How troublesome.'_

She loosened her grip on the rope.

_'I'm sorry Gon, I lied to you a while ago,'_

Erin slowly let go of the rope that she and Katsuo were holding, _'I never thought your advice was a good one.'_

Katsuo noticed the sudden lack of force pulling from behind him and turned around only to find himself making eye contact with Erin – she only looked like she was holding the rope, but she wasn't exerting any pulling force. He saw her say something but he couldn't hear her, it almost looked like, "I'm sorry, Katsuo-san"

Katsuo suddenly felt a quick sensation of pain to his side – like somebody just punched his ribs. Because of that he lost his balance and in a blink of an eye, Katsuo was now flying through the air and grabbing on to the rope while screaming. Everything seemed to play out in slow motion as Katsuo tried to understand the situation he was in.

_'W-what just happened? I'm falling off the ship?'_ The thought terrified him.

_'But wait… It felt like something forcefully pushed me…'_ He immediately thought of Erin, and the words that she might have uttered. _'Did she do this? But how? There's no way! I didn't even see her move. I didn't see anything.'_

The sound of crashing waves grew louder and louder as he continued to fall off,

_'I guess this is it huh?'_ Katsuo accepted his fate and closed his eyes.

Then suddenly, he felt skin touching his, there was a pair of hands holding on to his arm, his eyes immediately went open and he saw Gon, the kind boy, grabbing on to him. He was about to exhale a relieved sigh when he saw that there was another person doing the same as Gon.

_'Erin?! Why is she saving me? Didn't she –'_

Everything was so confusing for the sailor, and his body couldn't cope up with the experience of almost dying, and so he went unconscious and everything for him went black.

While Leorio checked Katsuo's state, and Kurapika yelled at Gon and Erin despite of the storm, the redhead was deep in her thoughts.

_'Mission accomplished Erin, could've done it better but as long as Katsuo went towards the intended direction, then it's good enough.'_

~ End of Flashback ~

"What do you think, Katsuo?"

The sailor looked up at Erin who was now staring at him, her eyes reflecting the sunset's light. She walked closer and stood in front of him, her feet slightly apart and her hands clasped behind her back, with a gaze that never faltered. Even though he was a lot taller than her, the way she stood intimidated him.

"I-I…" his voice cracked, unsure whether he should say what he thought out loud. However, it seemed like he didn't have a choice because Erin looked like she wasn't going anywhere until she received an answer, "I think you're here to talk to me and make sure that I don't snitch," he continued and broke eye contact with Erin – looking down on the floor. The sailor might not have been the most physically stronger ones among the crew, but he certainly was perceptive.

"Snitch?" she asked, "About what?"

Katsuo looked up, "Huh?"

She went back to her soft demeanor, "Did something happen? Did you see anything?"

He couldn't answer a question that he wasn't so sure of himself.

Erin took steps forward then stopped when she was already standing beside him. She placed a hand on his shoulder, "Did you see anything happen, Katsuo-san?" she asked again.

He swallowed then said, "N-no…"

"Then," Erin slightly squeezed his shoulder, "There's nothing to snitch about, right?"

"Y-yes… Nothing… at all…"

She giggled, a sound that should've been coming from an angel, "Silly Katsuo-san, then I'll be going now," Erin started to walk off and waved, "Take care!"

Katsuo exhaled a breath that he didn't know he was holding and anxiously glanced at Erin's retreating figure.

No one could see the expression she wore as she walked away, but it was stoic and unyielding.

_'As long as I make sure that Gon and I will pass,_ she thought, _Then I'll get closer to my objective.'_

She took one last look at the sunset then proceeded to walk downstairs below deck, back to the company of the kind yet naive boy.

_After all… Gon is my first clue.'_

* * *

Author's note:

Hello! Thanks for taking the time to give this fanfic a chance! I hope the first chapter wasn't too long or dragging, and if you have any helpful tips regarding my writing style and the way I pace the story then please leave a constructive review, it would be really helpful, especially since this is my first fanfic :D

Do not worry if Erin's character is kind of throwing you off and making you confused because it's meant to be that way hahaha, and I will reveal bits and pieces of her past along the way which might answer some of your questions.

Anyway, thanks for reading and I hope you'll stick for more!


	2. 2

**Disclaimer: **I do not own hunterxhunter. All characters and plot of the said manga/anime is under the intellectual property of Yoshihiro Togashi. This is a work of pure fiction whereas names, OC's, places, or events are products of the author's imagination. If there is any resemblance to actual/real persons, places, or events, then it is pure coincidence. Furthermore, I do not own the cover image and give full credit to whoever owns it.

* * *

_Case File #2_

_1.07.2008_

_Dr. Navi Riche_

_The Khamat University of International Relations has been successfully infiltrated by 0023, 0012, and 0011, under the initiative of 0007. The former mentioned have assumed their covert roles and respective false identities for the espionage. There were no errors with the procedure as the operation was discreet and resulted with no casualties. As of now, 0007 has not shown any signs of deficiencies with the skillset needed from a Sparrow. Further and careful observation will be done._

_Mission Status: Ongoing_

* * *

Volume 1: Chapter 2

The Test

"Could you have misheard what the captain said?" Kurapika asked Gon, not trying to sound offensive because of his doubt.

"No, he told me to go to the tall cedar tree by the hill," he replied with full conviction.

"That's odd," Leorio held up a piece of paper and looked intently at it, trying to scrutinize if he read anything wrong, "According to this notice I received, the exam is supposed to be held somewhere in Zaban City," he then proceeded to point at the large map displayed in front of them, "That cedar tree you're talking about is at the opposite direction of Zaban City."

"I also find it odd that you easily trust a questionable source of information when you were so adamant in being suspicious of the captain back then," Erin said while facing Leorio with her signature smile.

"Don't get all sharp-tongued with me, you little brat!"

"She does have a point," Kurapika looked at Leorio, "Our task is to find the site using only limited information, this is a test to determine if we're worthy of the exam."

"I already knew that! So just give it a rest alright!" Leorio grunted in frustration and scratched the back of his head, "Why the hell am I surrounded with smartasses like you guys?!" he gestured to the blonde and the redhead.

"Why do you sound so frustrated?" Erin asked, "That's actually better than being surrounded by idiots."

"I am frustra –" Leorio paused then growled at the girl, "Are you implying something?!"

"Gon, what's your call?" Erin faced the boy, ignoring Leorio once again as he continued to rant at the unaffected girl.

"I think I'll check it out myself and find out what the captain's talking about," he replied and started to walk towards the direction of the cedar tree.

Without any hesitation, Erin followed the boy and fell into step beside him.

"Oi, oi! Are guys serious?" Leorio called out, "The bus to Zaban is going to leave any second now!" Gon only replied with a wave without looking back at the man, "Jeez, those kids are too trusting!"

A few seconds later, Kurapika also began to walk towards the direction Gon and Erin was going to, earning another yell from Leorio, "Oi! What are you doing Kurapika? Come back!"

"I am intrigued by what the captain said, but I'm more curious about Gon's behavior," the Kurta replied.

"Whatever! Wasn't long but it was nice knowing ya!" Leorio let out an irritated huff, picked up his suitcase, and walked towards the bus.

Kurapika continued to walk towards the two kids in front of him who looked like they were in the middle of a conversation. When he was already within earshot, Erin's giggles and Gon's laughs could be heard. He wondered how unassuming the two were because currently, they just looked like innocent kids taking a peaceful stroll instead of taking the Hunter exam, and by far, they had more guts than most of the men he has encountered.

Kurapika was about to call out when he noticed Erin glance back and her eyes were intent on him, it almost looked like she narrowed them, but the Kurta immediately brushed off the thought when she smiled and waved at him. Gon noticed this and looked back, ending up smiling widely at the blonde.

"Hi Kurapika!" Gon greeted him enthusiastically.

Erin was still smiling as she asked politely, "I assume you're coming with us?"

"Yes. This _is_ the better option," he replied bluntly.

"Good thing Leorio isn't here to listen to what you just said," she replied, "Or else you'd have to deal with his tiresome yapping."

The Kurta chuckled at her comment, "Can't argue with that."

All of a sudden, a familiar voice blared out behind the trio from the distance. It started to grow louder and louder.

"Well, speak of the devil," Kurapika said.

The same irritating voice of Leorio filled the trio's ears when he arrived, breaking the calm and peaceful atmosphere that they had.

"Hey wait up!" Leorio exclaimed while panting, "I decided to come with you guys!" he then tried to justify his actions by continuing to bombard the trio with excuses such as, "I thought you guys were going to miss me," or, "It's lonely to travel alone."

Gon, Kurapika, and Erin just ignored the man as he continued to go on and on with his futile attempts to cover up his bruised pride, laughing it all off and trying to make light of his mistake.

Of course, Kurapika was once again getting more irritated by the second, but he controlled himself and decided to just try and get used to the way Leorio was. He might have been unbearable but even the Kurta could tell that the boisterous man was not a bad person. Then unconsciously, Kurapika glanced at Erin. Based on his instincts, he felt a pair of eyes watching him from her direction and indeed she was. There was a moment of troubling eeriness, as he pondered if Erin was trying to convey something, but it was too short for the Kurta to make anything of it. His cloudy suspicion immediately disappeared when she darted her eyes from Leorio then to him, rolling her eyes afterwards with a small smirk, showing that she was referring to the blabbering man behind them.

Kurapika subtly smiled as he tried to hold in a chuckle, clearly amused of the redhead's gestures. The Kurta was starting to take a liking to this girl, just like how he took a liking to Gon. He might have felt something troubling about her for a few moments because of his observant nature, but it wasn't that alarming to worry about, it was probably just her nature. Regardless, his positive views of her outweighed his doubts since he felt at ease in the company of someone with wit like him, someone who is probably more sarcastic than him – which he also found amusing as long as her target was someone like Leorio.

The group continued to walk while the two kids fell into a steady rhythm of pleasantly conversing back and forth, mostly about Gon's background and his small adventures back home since Erin initiated most of the questions – something that did not fall unnoticed by Kurapika. Throughout the two kids' conversation, Erin managed to subtly avoid all questions or topics that involved herself or her past. Still, the blonde did not find it suspicious whatsoever, after all, she wasn't entitled to reveal anything about herself to them, and he himself knew that prying on a stranger's past would be offensive.

Eventually, they came across a village that looked abandoned and kept following the main path they have been walking on – passing through the heart of the village, seeing nothing but dilapidated buildings and hearing nothing but the sound of silence.

"This place is giving me the creeps," Leorio muttered, "There isn't a single person anywhere."

"No. There's a bunch of people here," Gon pointed out.

Leorio was taken aback by his comment, "W-what?"

Suddenly a set of doors from one of the buildings opened up causing all of them to immediately stand guard. From the wide open doors then came a group of people wearing white robes and peculiar masks while dragging some sort of wooden platform that resembled a small stage with a long wooden table in front. Some of them carried different instruments, one carried a crow, another carried a horn, and the rest had other random things. The people in robes all stood while an old woman wearing a purple robe sat behind the table.

"What's up with these guys?" Leorio muttered while Gon and the others just stood cautiously as they waited in silence, wondering what kind of situation they were about to be thrown in to.

"Exciting…" the old woman spoke up.

"Exciting?" Leorio repeated, nervously anticipating what it was all about.

"The exciting two-choice quiz!" the old woman exclaimed and was followed by the sound of celebratory music being played by the people behind her.

Leorio, Kurapika, and even Gon were left dumbfounded with how something so suspenseful just led to a simple quiz. Erin on the other hand, ended up chuckling at the turn of events.

"Let me guess," the old woman started, "You four are headed to that cedar tree on the hill aren't you? Well, there's only one way to get there but you'll have to pass through this town first and to do that, you must pass a quiz that's comprised of a single question."

"Wait! What's going on?!" Leorio shouted. Unlike the other three who were composed, he was the only one who looked left behind in figuring out the situation they were in.

"It's quite obvious," Erin muttered under her breath, but made sure it was audible enough for Leorio.

"I heard that!"

The old lady continued her instructions despite of all the racket Leorio was causing, "You'll have five seconds to answer. If you're correct then you can move on but if not, then you're disqualified from this year's hunter exam. Your answer must be either choice number one or two, any other answer will be considered as incorrect."

"Wait a minute!" Leorio exclaimed, "All of us get to share the same question right?" he then turned to the blonde, "So if Kurapika here gets the wrong answer then I'd be disqualified too?!"

"It's more likely for the opposite to happen, Leorio," Kurapika pointed out while calmly folding his arms.

"What was that?!"

"Don't worry Leorio," Erin patted his back in a gentle, kind, and reassuring way, "If you're worried about failing then you can rely on the smartasses surrounding you. We'll help you get through this test," she then smiled with the most angelic look.

"You… brat!" Leorio shouted at her in comical anger, "Another word from that sarcastic little mouth of yours and I'll – "

"Erin's right!" Gon cut the impatient man off and said, "This way, we only need one of us to get the answer. If that happens, then we get to pass this test! After all," he placed a hand on the back of his head in embarrassment, "I'm not good at quizzes to begin with."

Thankful for Gon's positive reinforcement, Erin spoke up, "Don't sweat it Gon, I'd be more than willing to help someone as honest and humble as you."

"Excuse me?!" Leorio shouted, clearly taking offense with what the redhead said.

She turned to the man and replied, "Why are you so angry again Leorio?" Erin placed a hand on her chin and tilted her head innocently, "I already reassured you that you'd be receiving help from us."

"I know sarcasm when I hear it you little brat!"

Kurapika sighed in annoyance and mumbled, "Is 'brat' the only insult in your arsenal that you have for her?" the Kurta was trying to stay quiet and leave the heated man alone but he was starting to get on his nerves again, and Kurapika couldn't fight the urge to act curt with him.

"Great! Now another smartass joins the party!" Leorio stomped his foot then leaned over the so-called 'smartass' duo, "And before you say anything else, then yes! 'smartass' is the only insult I have for you because that's exactly what you are!" he furiously pointed at the Kurta.

"Why don't we just take the quiz!" Gon said with every bit of positivity he had, "Let's not fight and be glad that we get to help each other out."

"Of course Gon, let's just leave the argument at that," Kurapika smiled at the boy for his effort to break the tension.

"You're right Gon, it's good we get to team up," Erin added, "Three heads are better than one."

"Precisely." Kurapika agreed.

Leorio was about to shut up but suddenly realized the meaning behind Erin's words then whipped his head towards her, "The hell?! There are four of us here!"

"When are you guys going to stop bickering?" The group immediately looked behind them to see the source of the unfamiliar voice that just spoke. It was a man with an ominous look in his eyes, obviously someone who was carrying malicious intent, "If you're not going to take the quiz yet then I'd gladly go first."

"Now, who the heck are you?" Leorio asked smugly while folding his arms.

"He's been following us ever since we left the port," Gon answered for him.

"What?! R-really?" Leorio now carried a look of surprise.

"Sorry," the man said, "Didn't mean to eavesdrop, just couldn't help but overhear what you guys were talking about."

"So, what do you four choose to do?" the old lady asked the gang.

"Eh, he seems pretty eager to me," Leorio stated, "Should we let him go first and see how the questions would go?"

"No objections here." The blonde said.

"Me too!" Gon said while Erin just smiled and nodded in agreement then stepped back along with the boys to give way to the suspicious man. He stepped up to the podium with a red button on top of it, eager to clear the quiz.

"Here is your question," the old lady said accompanied with the sound of a honk and a crow, "a group of evil villains have kidnapped your mother and your true love, you can only save one of them. Choose 1 for your mother, or 2 for your lover. Which do you save and which one of them dies?"

The suspicious man remained unfazed by the question along Erin who merely raised both eyebrows, whereas the three boys were clearly taken aback by it, Leorio being the most obvious of all. "Hey! What kind of quiz is this?!" he exclaimed.

The man mischievously grinned as he pressed the button on the podium producing a dinging sound, "The answer is number one!" he said with full confidence.

"Hm? What's your reason?" the old lady asked without breaking her fixed expression.

"I only have one mother, so I can't replace her, but I could always just find another lover." He replied without any hint of guilt or remorse for whoever he would choose to sacrifice.

The old lady paused for a moment then pointed behind her, "You may pass."

"Seriously?!" Leorio shouted.

The man turned around to look at the gang, "You only have to tell what the old lady wants to hear, that's all." He said without wiping off the smug look on his face.

"You've gotta be kidding me! What kind of quiz is this?!" Leorio continued to complain, "So are we just supposed to tell her anything she wants to hear?!"

Everyone remained quiet despite of his demands for an answer. "Say something!" Leorio waved his arms angrily gesturing at the old lady. Still, no one spoke a word. "Fine! I'll go find another way!" he turned around and before he started to walk away the old lady spoke.

"It's too late," she said, "if you refuse to take the quiz then you'll be disqualified."

Leorio snarled, "Don't give me that crap! Of course different people will have different answers to that question. There's just no right answer for that question!"

With what he just said, Kurapika and Erin immediately lift their heads.

"There's no right answer…" the Kurta murmured, "I see…"

Erin glanced at Kurapika which was not left unnoticed by the blonde boy. Immediately, he knew that Erin realized the same thing he was thinking and so he quickly turned around to inform their friend who was getting more impatient by the second.

"Leorio!" he shouted and was about to say more but was cut off by the old lady.

"Wait!" she shouted with an outstretched hand. _The cat-eyed boy has figured it out, _she thought. "You're not allowed to say anything else but your answer. If you do, then you'll be disqualified."

Kurapika was getting more worried each second that passed by, only being able to see Leorio grunting and not showing any signs of figuring out the answer. _Wake up Leorio, it's just a simple trick!_

He glanced at Gon who seemed too deep in thought to notice anything that just happened which just added to his worry. He then looked at Erin who noticed his gesture and subtly nodded, assuring him that she figured it out, and he thought that at least she already got it right which somehow lessened his worry even just a little bit. The main problem though was Leorio, and Kurapika knew that both he and Erin could do nothing about it but hope that he would stay quiet.

"Here's the question," the old lady said, "Both your son and your daughter have been kidnapped, and you can only save one of them. Choose 1 for your son and 2 for your daughter. Which will you save?"

The moment the old lady started to count down from five, Leorio also started to walk towards the side of a building, picking up a wooden stick and swinging down aggressively again and again.

"5… 4… 3… 2… 1… Time is up!"

Leorio suddenly leaped towards the old lady with a yell, lifting his arms while holding the wooden stick and preparing to attack her, who, despite of facing a threat, remained calm and unfazed. However, Kurapika was quick to react and immediately blocked Leorio's attack with his own wooden sword.

"Out of the way Kurapika! Let me teach this old hag a lesson!" Leorio shouted in his face.

"Calm down Leorio!"

"How the hell do you expect me to calm down!?"

Leorio suddenly felt something hit the back of his knees causing him to bend down. He whipped back his head to find Erin standing behind him with a smile, realizing that she probably kicked the back of his knees.

"How can he explain it to you if you don't calm down?" Erin said and patted his shoulder, "Are you calm now?" she asked with her usual smile and looked at him at eye-level since he was now kneeling down.

"Don't give me that crap!" Leorio replied while swatting her hand away, "And did you just kick me?!"

The Kurta noticed how Erin subtly pulled Leorio's attention away from the old lady towards herself and was grateful for it.

"Cut it out Leorio!" Kurapika shouted, "or you'll waste our correct answer!"

"Eh?" Leorio turned to him with a dumbfounded expression, "Correct… answer?"

"Silence. That was the correct response and we've already given it. Any other answer would've been incorrect."

"W-what do you mean 'silence'?" he asked while standing up.

"Just that." Kurapika stated, "You said it yourself, remember? 'there's no right answer' but we only had to choose between 1 or 2. Hence, we only had to respond with silence."

"What about the guy that just passed us? Why did he make it through?"

"She never told him she was correct, she only said 'you may pass'," Kurapika then turned towards the old lady, "Which means that the path he went to wasn't the one leading to the hunter exam. Correct?"

The old lady finally cracked a smile and stood up, "Exactly. The real path is right over here." She walked towards the set of doors that she and her company came from. "If you follow this path for two hours then you will reach the cedar tree."

"I… was not expecting this…" Leorio commented.

"There is a couple who lives in a small cabin under that tree and will serve as your navigators to the exam site if you pass their standards." The old lady informed.

The sound of wood dropping on the ground could be heard as Leorio walked up to the old lady and bowed. "I'm sorry ma'am. Please forgive me for being rude."

"Oh don't be," she replied, "meeting people like you is what makes this job fulfilling in the first place. So give it your all and become the best hunter you can be." She smiled softly at Leorio.

"Sure." He replied with a grin and scratched the back of his head.

"Ughhh… I give up!" Everyone's attention went to the boy who just exclaimed. "I can't choose which one!" Gon said in frustration.

Kurapika, Leorio and Erin chuckled at their companion's petty dilemma.

"You've been trying to figure it out this whole time?" Leorio asked while holding in his laughter.

"Gon, the quiz is already over." Kurapika informed him.

"Oh yeah, I know that. But what if… what if that really happens to me some time in the future? What if I had to choose between two people and could only help one of them? Who would I choose?"

No one expected the seemingly naïve boy to ask such a deep question, that's why everyone was left speechless, not knowing how to answer him, except for one.

"You know for scenarios like these, Gon," Erin spoke up causing the gang to look at her, "You'll never know the answer until you're literally in that moment and time."

Kurapika was quite surprised that Erin was able to provide an answer. The words she used might have sounded melancholic if others were to say them, but no matter how much he tried to read her, she left no hint of sadness, hatred, or any negative emotion. She only looked like a girl giving helpful and mature advice to her friend.

Gon nodded at Erin and said, "I just hope that I would know what to do when that time comes."

"Yes," Erin walked towards the boy and offered her hand to help him up, "You can only hope." Gon accepted her offer and stood up.

The four turned to the correct path's entrance after hearing the people wearing robes opening the doors.

The sound of metal doors opening made Erin pause - a memory, which was buried deep down, flashed through her mind. Her three companions were already walking towards the dark tunnel that was only lit by a very small source of light which was probably the exit at the very end.

_It's been a while since I've seen something like this, _Erin thought and continued to walk into another dark place.

* * *

**Author's note:** I know, I know, it's reaaaally been awhile huhuhu. I'm so sorry for uploading this chapter after a long time. The past month was like the most stressful because of final examinations and all the issues going on in our country. Also sorry for how this chapter was shorter than previous one huhuhu. Anywaaaay, now it's finally my summer break yaaay! So I'll be focusing a lot more on this fanfic (finally, I can relieve some stress through doing something I enjoy T_T) To whoever who has read my fanfic, thank you so much for giving it a chance, and to those who are still willing to follow it, thank you so much for the patience!

To** iewz :** Thanks! I'm really happy that you like how I've handled Erin as a character. Your review really boosted my confidence ;D

To **Guest from chapter 1 :** Thank you for motivating me to keep up with this fanfic. Really needed it huhuhu


	3. 3

**Disclaimer: **I do not own hunterxhunter. All characters and plot of the said manga/anime is under the intellectual property of Yoshihiro Togashi. This is a work of pure fiction whereas names, OC's, places, or events are products of the author's imagination. If there is any resemblance to actual/real persons, places, or events, then it is pure coincidence. Furthermore, I do not own the cover image and give full credit to whoever owns it.

* * *

_Case File #3_

_1.15.2008_

_Dr. Navi Riche_

_According to the weekly report from 0007, no significant information has been retrieved. There were no errors with the procedure as the operation was discreet and resulted with no casualties. As of now, 0007 has not shown any signs of deficiencies with the skillset needed from a Sparrow. Further and careful observation will be done._

_Mission Status: Ongoing_

* * *

Volume 1: Chapter 3

The Test II

Leorio continued to whine throughout the whole trek in the dark tunnel, and now that they were following a seemingly endless path in the forest, his complaints just multiplied.

"She said, 'you'll reach the top in two hours'" Leorio mockingly copied the voice of the old lady that tested them, "Yeah right. It was two hours, two hours ago!"

For the most part of the hike, Kurapika, Gon, and Erin just chose to ignore Leorio's rants who was now lagging behind the three of them. Leorio walked up to another sign in the forest, hoping to see something different from the many signs that he's seen before it.

Leorio sighed, "Another 'beware of magical beasts' sign? We're never gonna' find this stupid exam site!" he then started to shout out one complaint after another to the three that were ahead of him, "You guys! I'm so hungry! I need to take a dump! I'm getting tired!"

"Try to keep up Leorio!" Gon encouraged him.

Kurapika on the other hand just sighed in annoyance, "If only he didn't waste all that energy through constantly complaining."

"Look everyone, I think I see the cabin." Erin informed the two boys who were with her and started speeding up her pace of walking, not bothering to also inform Leorio.

"Leorio!" Gon called out, "We're almost there! Erin just saw the cabin!"

"Seriously?! Well, it's about time!" immediately he runs to catch up to the three who were in front of him.

The group continued to walk towards the cabin in complete silence, trying to be cautious, not knowing what they were going to face next but knowing that they might encounter a random obstacle at any moment. The four of them climbed up the stairs leading to the cabin's entrance and were now standing in front of wooden double doors.

Leorio knocked twice and asked if there was anybody home. But no one answered. With the lack of any response, the group decided to open the door themselves.

The sight that they beheld after opening the doors immediately made the four of them take guarded stances – the inside of the cabin was a complete mess, there were broken furniture everywhere and a man who looked gravely injured was lying face down on the floor, but what made everyone extremely cautious was the large beast standing in the middle of the room. The beast turned around to look at the new intruders with a malicious grin.

"What the hell is that!" Leorio exclaimed.

"It appears to be a Kiriko," the blonde informed his companions calmly, "it's a magical beast that can take on human form and is extremely intelligent."

"I see." Erin muttered, trying to process and vividly remember all the information that she's gained so far.

"There's a woman in its arms!" Gon said with full concern.

Leorio looked down on the floor, "And that guy needs immediate medical attention."

The magical beast did not bother to wait around and swiftly jumped through the back window of the cabin, still having the woman in its clutches. Kurapika, Gon, and Erin rushed to the window that was just shattered.

"Please save her!" the injured man begged, "You have to save my wife!" Gon nodded and instantly left to chase the magical beast.

"Leorio! We're leaving the injured man to you!" Kurapika instructed.

"Got it!" Leorio replied, already working on providing first aid to the injured man on the floor.

"I'll stay here in case something else happens." Erin reassured the Kurta as he hurriedly took off his sling bag, nodded at her then jumped out the window after Gon.

The house suddenly became quiet, as if no commotion had just occurred. The only sound that could be heard was Leorio's calming voice as he kept on reassuring the injured man of the safety of his wife. Erin situated herself in a position wherein she would be able to see and guard all entrances of the house after examining the whole scene. Once again, keeping her feet slightly apart and her hands clasped behind her back.

_Three windows in front of the house. One on the right and one on the left. One window at the back. One set of double doors in the front. And from what I recall when approaching this cottage outside, there's one window for probably an attic. I see no set of stairs so perhaps this is the only floor. _Erin enumerated in her mind.

A few seconds passed – then minutes, until Leorio spoke up, "Erin, I'm already done fixing him up."

Erin turned to see the injured man all patched up properly – something that she knew would require a certain level of proficiency in medical services. "You did it in such a short time," she smiled at Leorio, "Quite impressive."

Leorio was about to feel good about the compliment but immediately frowned, "Why does your compliment still sound like an insult to me?"

The redhead didn't reply since she already looked like she had tuned out of their conversation.

_How rude, _Leorio thought. _But I should just focus on taking care of this guy before arguing with her._

"M-my wife…" the injured spoke up weakly and shakily lifted up his hand, "I need to…"

Leorio gripped his hand and said with full conviction, "Don't worry! My friends will save her so you should just focus on resting and refrain from talking. Right, Erin?" he then turned to the girl hoping to give some extra reassurance. But she gave no response, she only kept glancing at her surroundings with an unreadable expression.

_Sheesh, for Pete's sake!_

"Oi Erin!" Leorio shouted at her.

She bent down on one knee by the door's entrance and stared at the floor, "Yes," she replied with the most soothing voice, "They will save your wife mister."

Leorio clicked his tongue in annoyance. The way she said it didn't sound fake but to him it didn't feel genuine, like she wasn't trying at all.

"I… I need to go to her…" the man attempted to sit up but was failing to do so. "I can't just stay here knowing she's in danger…"

"Don't be crazy!" Leorio gently pushed him back down, "You can't move in that state, it's better to just –"

"More importantly," Erin suddenly spoke up which made the two men turn their attention towards her, "How long have you and your wife been living here mister?"

The injured man paused for a brief moment but recollected himself and acted like he was surprised by her untimely question, "For quite some time now…" he replied with a weak voice.

Erin subtly narrowed her eyes and slowly stood up from her bent position. _A safe answer._

"Be specific." She said.

"Oi! What do you mean 'more importantly'? Your question isn't important at all!" Leorio shouted at the redhead.

Erin just stared at the man lying on the floor - her silhouette emphasized by the moonlight shining through the door and her shadow looming over him. The man could not hear Leorio dishing out the little girl for how she shouldn't bother the husband and let him rest. All his senses focused on the one thing only he noticed – her gaze.

_Well, what do we have here? _The man lying on the floor thought. _Menace? And coming from a little girl?_

He almost wanted to smirk but he had to keep the act up. _Interesting but also – _he looked right through her eyes only to see abyss _\- quite unsettling._

Erin stepped forward, still keeping her gaze and posture then said, "Well?"

"We've been living here about a year now." He replied, not knowing what she would do with false information.

"I see…" she replied then turned to the fuming man in the suit, "Leorio, you just wasted your medical supplies on this person."

"Huh?! What are you talking about?!"

"Y-yeah," the husband stuttered, "What are you trying to say?"

"What I'm trying to say is that," Erin looked him in the eye, "None of this real. Right mister?"

"Eh? What do you mean?" Leorio was now clearly confused, "How can you say that?"

The husband was still trying to maintain his act and was about to say something to justify himself, but seeing how the redhead continued to firmly hold her gaze, he knew that his efforts in hiding the fact that he was a navigator and this was all a test would just be in vain for it looked like she wasn't going to back down any time soon. Standing in front of him was a very sharp and observant girl who probably saw through his act along the way. He sighed and smirked, finally dropping his act.

"Alright, alright," he said while sitting up then attempted to stand, "You got m- ", the husband immediately stopped halfway when he felt something sharp slice through the air and cut his right cheek, hearing the sound of a knife piercing the wooden wall behind him.

"I suggest that you remain in the position you are in," Erin said calmly with her right arm stretched out, indicating that she was the one who threw that knife, "A fraud who just admitted to trickery can't be taken for granted. Answer my question with no unnecessary movements."

There was no need to wait for the girl to say any kind of threat because the tone of her voice itself already sounded like one, and so the man remained in a sitting position. Even Leorio, who was still having trouble in keeping up with the events that just transpired, felt the hidden uncanniness that Erin had just shown.

"Is this all an act?" she asked.

The amount of pressure she exerted towards the man sent shivers down his spine, "Yes," he said, "How did you know?"

She paused for a moment like she was considering whether he was telling the truth or not, but after a few seconds she spoke, "When we arrived here there were no signs of forced entry. No broken windows. No broken doors. And no scratches on the floor by the entrances whatsoever. But the inside was a complete mess. How?"

She then started walking slowly towards the man, and every step made the atmosphere feel more tense, "How could the outside of the cabin be so untarnished, if a magical beast broke into your home? I considered the possibility that the Kiriko pretended to be human and entered the house without breaking in after remembering Kurapika say that they can take human form. But…" Erin suddenly stopped walking when she was already about a meter away from the man, "You told me yourself that you and your wife had been living here for a year now. So how could you two possibly be oblivious of the presence of magical beasts in the area? There are dozens of 'beware of magical beasts' signs plastered throughout the forest which is why I find it highly unlikely that you haven't encountered one before this incident for the past year. And as I recall, we were told that the navigators living here would test us if we passed their standards."

There was something monotonous with how Erin explained the information and proof she just offered, which made the navigator silent for a few seconds, trying to read the unreadable girl but to no avail. "Well, I'll be damned," he finally spoke, "You hit the nail on the head."

"Seriously?!" Leorio whipped his head from the navigator to Erin, clearly in shock.

"So can I stand up now?"

The redhead suddenly smiled, "I suppose so…" she said, showing no trace of the menace she projected towards the fake husband.

"Why don't we step outside?" the navigator said while standing up. "Let's just wait for your friends to come back. And if they're as smart as you then I guess it won't take too long." He then walked outside, leaving Leorio and Erin alone in the cabin.

Leorio was staring at Erin, not knowing what to do or say, _Should I say 'good job!' or 'nice catch!'? Hmm… But it feels weird to say that… I've been calling her a smartass all this time, and now, her being a smartass actually helped us._

The redhead noticed him being deep in his thoughts so she smiled at him, "What's wrong Leorio?"

"Eh? Um… nothing! Haha! Ha… ha…" he scratched the back of his head. Leorio couldn't help but remember the image she projected while interrogating the navigator. Such a shift in her demeanor made him slightly creeped out. Fortunately, he was too dense to dwell on the disturbing feeling he felt from Erin and said, "G-good work! Erin…"

She nodded and walked towards the back wall of the house, pulling out the knife embedded in its wooden structure. She turned back to face Leorio while flipping the knife with her hand, "Here you go Leorio." she said and threw the knife to him at the same time.

Leorio easily caught it and curiously analyzed it, only to realize that the knife Erin used was actually his own pocket knife. "Wha- How did you get this?!"

"I'm sorry," she tilted her head, "I thought you consented when I asked to borrow your knife and you didn't react at all when I took it."

"You didn't even ask!"

"Now, now. In the end, all is well," she replied with a reassuring smile and walked past Leorio towards the front doors, "You still have your precious pocket knife don't you?"

"Don't give me-!" Leorio wanted to shout back a retort but since he already wasted a lot of mental energy with everything that just happened, he just sighed.

_Whatever… I give up, _he thought as he grumpily stomped his way out of the cabin.

* * *

"Hmm… How many years has it been since someone could tell us apart?" one of the two magical beasts asked then looked at the other.

"This is exciting!" the other Kiriko exclaimed.

Leorio leaned over Kurapika to whisper, "Can you tell their faces and voices are different?"

"No… not at all…" he replied.

The man then leaned lower on his other side to whisper at Erin, "What about you? Can you tell them apart?"

"I cannot as well. It would take a long time of observing to figure out the subtle differences," she replied, "Gon is just from a different species."

"You… may have a point there…" Leorio agreed.

The words Erin used sounded insulting but Kurapika could understand what she was trying to say – Gon was just beyond human comprehension, and the Kurta couldn't agree more to that.

"You see, the one Kurapika and I beat is the husband." Gon tried to explain to his companions which was only in vain since they still could not distinguish who he was referring to.

"Allow us to introduce ourselves!" one of the Kiriko said, "We are the navigators. Our family provides support for the Hunter Exam."

"I'm their daughter!"

"I'm their son!"

The people who pretended to be the wife and husband introduced themselves respectively.

"Man, you had us fooled." Leorio lifted his shoulders and extended both arms with palms facing upward, then he glanced at Erin, "All except one that is…" he muttered and placed both hands on his hips.

"The Hunter Exam changes their venue every year and they make it quite difficult to locate it." The Kiriko explained.

"So we, as navigators, help guide applicants to the exam site." The other continued.

"But we don't help every candidate." The daughter added.

The son nodded then said, "We test applicants to see if they are worthy to take the exam."

Leorio immediately straightened his posture after hearing what he said, worry and concern apparent on his face.

"Kurapika." The daughter called out.

"Yes."

"You successfully used the vaguest of hints to determine that we weren't spouses." She then lifted her arm to show the marks covered by her clothing and revealed that they were fake by erasing them, "The hints were these tattoos which, in this region, mark a woman as single for life. Kurapika has demonstrated that he is very knowledgeable. Therefore, he passes."

The Kurta finally released a sigh of relief and is congratulated by his fellow companions.

"Leorio."

He stiffened at the sound of his name but managed to reply, "Yeah…"

"You never realized my true identity," the son started, "However, you dressed my injuries faster and more thoroughly than most doctors. Most importantly, you continued to reassure me that my wife was safe."

Kurapika and Gon smiled at the comment realizing that their friend was kinder than he made himself to be, whereas Leorio only expressed embarrassment with what was stated about him.

"Your empathy makes you worthy to take the Hunter Exam. Therefore, you pass."

"Really?!" Leorio immediately falls to the ground, "Thank goodness…"

The rest of the gang congratulated the now stress-free man as the son moved on to the next person.

"Erin."

"Yes."

"You are the only one to figure out that the incident was all an act to test applicants with your keen analytical skills."

Kurapika raised his eyebrows in surprise and glanced at Erin. _I sensed that she was a smart girl, but I didn't expect her to possess such observational skills. Impressive._

"Your high level of perception makes you worthy to take the exam. Thus, you pass." The son announced.

Erin slightly bowed her head showing gratitude to the navigators while Gon lifted up his hand for a fist bump which she gave with a smile.

"And finally, Gon." The Kiriko said, "Your superhuman physical ability and powers of observation make you worthy to take the Hunter Exam. Thus, you pass."

Being glad that him and his friends had passed the test, Gon grinned widely at them and raised his hand to give each of them a fist bump once again.

"Alright!" One of the magical beasts stood up, "Let's bring you to the exam site!" and as it said that, both the son and the daughter transformed into a Kiriko as well. "Each of us will carry one of you as we fly. Got it?"

"Umm… Fly?" Leorio asked.

"Exactly." The son stated then shifted his arms into wings and flapped them.

"Woah!" Gon exclaimed.

"What are you waiting for?" the son directed his question towards Leorio who then stepped closer to the Kiriko that was now hovering three meters above the ground alongside his family who were also doing the same.

"So are we supposed to just… hang on?"

"What are you expecting? A princess carry?"

"O-of course not!" Leorio shouted, "I was just clarifying!"

"How long will it take to get there?" Kurapika asked then jumped to hang on one of the Kiriko's legs, who was promptly followed by Gon and Erin grabbing on to the other magical beasts. Seeing that everyone had already readied themselves for the flight, Leorio also followed suit.

"We'll probably arrive at sunrise." One of the Kiriko, the daughter, replied. The four magical beasts started to go higher and higher into the night sky.

"Eh! That long?" Leorio exaggeratingly reacted and due to his sudden movement the Kiriko carrying him attempted to balance himself by flapping his wings vigorously.

"Stay still or I'll drop you!" the Kiriko scolded him.

Erin looked at Leorio and said with a concerned tone, "What's wrong Leorio? Are you afraid?"

"Of course not you little brat!" He glared at the redhead then quickly behaved himself to prove his point.

Erin giggled daintily, "If you're worried about falling from this height, then don't be. The impact will kill you on the spot so that means you won't have to suffer."

"Jeez… Thanks for the reassurance…" Leorio sarcastically commented.

"Glad to help." Erin replied and smiled at him like an angel.

Gon immediately brightened up the atmosphere that was somehow slowly going to a morbid ambiance as he grinned and said, "Isn't it great that we all passed?"

"It's too early to celebrate." Kurapika stated, wanting to remind his companions of reality and avoid complacency, "We've merely earned the right to take the real exam."

"What's wrong with celebrating a little right?" Leorio said with a carefree smile.

"Well, so far, most of us has helped each other in some way, and that's why we're here now." Erin commented.

Leorio – already being sensitive to Erin's elusive provocative remarks towards him – eyed her and shouted defensively, "Why'd you use 'most of us' and not 'all of us' huh?!"

"Yeah Erin!" Gon said.

Leorio initially thought that someone was finally taking his side, only to be disappointed after the boy finished his sentence and realized that Gon was not agreeing with him and was actually ignoring what he said.

"As long as we stick together, we'll get through all of this!" the boy encouraged his friends with a wide grin on his face, which in return, also brought smiles to Kurapika and Leorio's faces. However, for a fraction of a second, without anyone noticing, Erin frowned. Afterwards, she then started to chuckle softly. Gon, who was the only one who heard her light giggles, asked, "What's so funny Erin?"

"Oh nothing." She replied, "Nothing at all."

* * *

_I wake up with the feeling of something cold and hard pressing on the side of my face. I blink my eyes a couple of times but everything remained blurry, and there was a pounding in my head that didn't help in improving my vision. I try to move but my limbs betray me. And after maybe a few minutes? Well, I couldn't focus on counting – I realize that I am actually lying face down on a white floor. I try to push myself up once again, and fortunately my body wasn't too weak to be considered useless. _

_"Look! Another one's waking up." I hear someone call out – a child's voice. The voice sounded grateful and weary at the same time._

_I finally sit up and see two boys rushing towards me. One of them kneels down in front of me and hastily asks, "Your name! What's your name?" his ocean blue eyes glistened with hope._

_"Calm down," his companion coolly said while putting a hand on the blue-eyed boy's shoulder and kneeling down beside him, "She just woke up. Don't frighten her."_

_The panicky boy bit his lip like he regretted his actions, "You're right, sorry."_

_The calm boy with golden brown hair then turned to me, his honey-colored eyes meeting mine, "How do you feel?"_

_I was still confused but chose to oblige with his question, "Drowsy… and sore." I reply then place my hand on the back of my aching neck while looking around. We were in a room that was nothing but white, I couldn't even tell its size, but seeing many bodies sprawled out on the floor, we were probably in a very big room. _

_"Where are we?" I ask._

_The boy with the golden eyes frowned. "We don't know. Both of us actually woke up not too long before you." He then moves to sit down in front of me, followed by the other boy. "Can you remember anything before this? Like how you got here? Or even your name?"_

_"My name? I'm…" I pause, not because of hesitance, but because something that should've naturally come out of my mouth failed to do so. My name – nothing came into mind, not even a single letter._

_"I… don't know. I can't remember. And I don't know how I got here."_

_The two boys sigh in disappointment._

_"So none of us can remember anything before this incident." The golden-eyed boy said._

_"What are we going to do?" the other boy asked with a shaky voice while anxiously combing through his raven hair, "Maybe we were kidnapped? I mean look, we're all kids here."_

_I look around again and just notice that almost all of the bodies are actually children._

_"That's highly probable," the calm boy stated. _

_The raven-haired boy immediately stands up and starts to pace back and forth while muttering something to keep himself calm. _

_I glance at the nearest body then ask the golden-eyed boy, "Are they… okay?"_

_"Their alive. We checked most of them before you woke up." He replied._

_"I see."_

_He stays quiet for a few seconds then says, "You seem surprisingly calm about all this."_

_I pause before answering, "So are you. But I feel like something in the back of my mind is telling me that I have no choice but to stay calm."_

_He stays quiet for a few seconds again then informs me of what he has found in the room so far, "There aren't any exits, there aren't any objects, and all of us here are children."_

_"We should look for more clues." I force myself to stand up and thankfully my body listens. He also stands up and we slowly walk around the room together while avoiding stepping on the bodies. I glance at the other boy who is still pacing back and forth, "Is he going to be okay?"_

_"I hope so. That's what he did before to calm himself down when he woke up."_

_"So you were the first to wake up?"_

_"Yes."_

_"How long were you the only one awake?"_

_"Maybe an hour? Yeah. He woke up after an hour. Then you woke up about thirty minutes later. Hard to tell."_

_"I see…" I stare at some children that were clumped together, "Most children here look like they're nine to twelve years old. You look like you're nine."_

_He looks at me as if I said something he wanted to here, "I thought so too. You can't see yourself, but you actually look younger than most of us here. Probably seven years old? __There are only a few of your age though."_

_I nod at him and point out something I noticed. "And I don't know if this is significant but most of us here are dressed rather nicely don't you think?"_

_He glances around, "Now that you mentioned it, we are wearing decorous clothing." He then widens his eyes, "Are we hostages for a ransom? We might be from wealthy families." _

_I place a hand on my chin. "It's odd. We can't remember who we are, our family, how we got here, and anything about our lives right?"_

_He nods._

_"But we can remember to a certain extent. Like basic knowledge and communication needed for human interaction, or social constructs to determine that being well-dressed means that you're from a well-off family."_

_"You're right. It's like there's just a gap in our memories. And that gap is our identity and how we got here."_

_Suddenly, silence filled the air. Perhaps we both just realized that the situation we were in was really dire._

_"Since we don't know our names, why don't we assign nicknames? It would make things easier right?" he said, breaking the silence._

_"That is a good suggestion. Well, how do we decide?"_

_He thinks for a second, "How about something visual? It's easier to remember. So… what would you call me?"_

_I look at him in the eye and easily decide, "Gold. You probably can't remember but you have golden brown eyes."_

_He smiles then nods._

_"What about me?" the other boy asked while walking up to us. I didn't notice that he was already done panicking. "I heard about the names."_

_"Then you'll be 'Blue' same with your eyes." Gold said then turns to me, "And you'll be… Red, same with your hair."_

_I nod at him._

_"Hey guys. A few of them are waking up now." Blue points out while looking at the other children._

_We rush to the scene and repeat the same process of explaining and questioning and calming every person down. Until there was only one child left who wasn't awake._

* * *

_"So you don't remember anything as well?" Gold asks the poor girl who is still shaking like she was naked in the middle of winter. She looks even younger than me and she appears to be the youngest here._

_She hesitantly shakes her head, clearly still afraid of the situation._

_Some of the children who tuned in on our conversation with the girl sighed. Some started to panic more. While some just walked off like they didn't care, probably a defense mechanism to control their fears._

_Gold pats the girl's head and tells her with a reassuring voice, "Don't worry. Just stay close with us. We'll get out of this. Okay?" __he then extends his right hand to her, offering to help her up._

_Still, she hesitates, which wasn't left unnoticed by Gold._

_"Can I suggest a great nickname for you?" he asks._

_The girl looks up and shows in her face that she remembers what Gold just told her about the nicknames. She nods without keeping eye contact._

_"April. You know why?"_

_She shakes her head._

_"The color of your hair reminds me of cherry blossoms and they usually bloom during the month of April."_

_The girl slightly calms herself after seeing the soothing smile that Gold just gave her. She nods in approval of the name and takes the hand that he offered. She continues to cling to him even as we start walking to find out where Blue had gone. It's hard to spot him with how many we were in the room. Roughly estimating, there were probably more than fifty children here._

_"I'm Gold and she's Red." He introduces us and the little girl shyly nods._

_"You're pretty good at that." I softly uttered to Gold, keeping my voice out of the little girl's earshot._

_"Well, someone needs to be able to calm everyone down. Or else we'd be having a mass panic. And children are easily agitated."_

_After the few interactions I have had with Gold, it appears to me that he's also forgetting that he's a child too, even if he was one of the eldest here. _

_"Not just that though," I reply, "It's like… Maybe you have a little sister or brother that you don't remember."_

_He turns to look at me and for a moment - something that was probably too subtle for a normal person to notice, but somehow I unknowingly did – he wore an empty expression, more like nothingness._

_"Maybe… Maybe I do." Then he immediately looks away like he spotted something. "Blue! Over here!"_

_I see Blue run over to us, making his way through the crowd. "Is she the last one?" He gestures to April._

_"Yes." I reply. He hopefully looks at me if we got something out of her and I shake my head at him. It surprises me that even after interrogating so many children and coming up with no answers, he's still hoping until the very last chance._

_He grunts then folds his arms and taps his foot on the floor, which kept the same rhythm as the right index finger he taps on his left arm – a mannerism that I noticed he has. "From the moment I woke up it already feels like we've been here for almost more than one day." Blue said, "And I don't know why this is strange to me but we're exactly a hundred children here."_

_Gold raises his eyebrow, "Are you sure?"_

_"Yes! I'm sure of it. I'm confident in my counting. It's what I do to keep calm."_

_Now it was my turn to raise my eyebrow at him, "How do you know that?"_

_"What?" he stops tapping both his finger and foot, "I- I don't know. I guess I just do."_

_Gold gives a short hum, "I guess we can still remember our habits huh?"_

_I nod. Grateful, that we at least gained a few information, and the more information we have, the more clues we get to escape this place._

_"It's bugging me though." Blue continues, "Why such an exact number? Is it coincidence?"_

_Suddenly, without a warning, I hear a loud ominous sound of a music box playing. I frantically search for the source but realize that everyone in the room was hearing it since they were doing the same._

_We hear the sound of something mechanical opening around the middle of the room and notice that a crowd was starting to part and the murmurs of children was starting to grow louder. Gold, Blue, and I, along with April, rush to the commotion and see a part of the white floor opening. It stops at a certain point, and something slowly emerges from it._

_The first thing I see is the faceless head of a mannequin until it slowly goes up to reveal a mannequin's body dressed in what looks like a ballerina's corset and tutu. The mannequin was in the first position of a ballet dancer._

_The music continues to play as the mannequin twirls around and around. When it stops, the unsettling music that accompanied it also disappeared. I notice the rest of the children clearly having the look of disturbance in their faces. It feels like no one would dare to speak up first, not knowing why there was something creepy in front of our eyes._

_Gold protectively stands in front of April; Blue is intensely keeping his eyes on the mannequin, afraid that it might unexpectedly do something; While I observe how ragged the mannequin actually looks, there were improper stitches in all of its joints, and the ballerina's outfit it wore was completely tarnished and dirty._

_Everyone jumps in anxious surprise when it suddenly moves. Some kids start screaming while backing up quickly. _

_It moves again. Then stops. Then moves again – its movements were robotic, restrained, and looked forced. Like it was being controlled by a puppet master._

_"Welcome Children." A monotonous eerie voice of a woman echoed in the room. "I'm sure you've all had a good night's rest the past few days." _

_I notice that the mannequin's movements were in time with whenever the voice spoke. _

_"Soooo… Why don't we play a little game?"_

_At this point, everyone was completely distraught and was full of unease. Gold's actions to calm everyone down before seem like futile efforts, seeing that almost every child was now trembling._

_"The rules are simple. In order for you to pass the game, you need to take one life, which means… You have to kill one person."_

_The words hit us all like a ton of bricks, and my heart feels like it just fell to the ground._

_"W-what did she just say?" Blue muttered shakily._

_"Simple right? Once you kill a person, you'll immediately pass the game and leave this place. Since there are a hundred of you here, that means, there will only be fifty winners. You can use whatever method you want as long as the other person dies by your own will. However, there is a time limit which is twelve hours. And if you fail to clear the game before then… You will die. You will see the countdown of the timer on top of the room."_

_I quickly glance upwards and see big red lights etched at the ceiling showing 12:00:00._

_Blue starts to chuckle in disbelief and turns to me and Gold, "S-she's… joking right? This is just a joke…"_

_None of us could give him an answer for we were also frozen in horror._

_"And the most important thing to remember," the voice continued, "There is only one rule: And that is OUR LAW. Have fun!"_

_The mannequin quickly drops down and the floor closes._

_A few seconds of silence. Then everyone starts to panic and break down. Some kids drop and cry, others start distancing themselves from each other while shouting, and the others merely stand frozen in disbelief._

_Gold attempts to calm the ones nearest to us but fails to do so. He turns to April who was pulling his shirt._

_"Gold… Are we still going to be okay? I'm scared."_

_He kneels down and looks her in the eye, "As long as we stick together, we'll get through all of this!"_

_I look back up at the time and notice that it wasn't counting down yet. "The game still hasn't started," I say, "Maybe we can think of a plan."_

_"How?" Blue asks me, his voice going deeper, "How can you think of a plan that doesn't involve killing huh? And how can the two of you be so calm in this situation? Are you even human?"_

_I frown at the tone of his voice and say, "Well, it's better than panicking and breaking down."_

_"What was that?" he spits out the words._

_"Guys!" Gold shouts, "This is not the time to -" _

_A long buzzing sound cuts him off and without feeling or noticing anything, everything suddenly turns dark. I can't see, hear, nor feel anything – it feels like I'm floating in a void. After a few seconds, everything lightens up and I drop to the ground. I quickly stand up and look around for Gold or Blue or April. But there weren't here with me. Everything looks different. I was not in an empty white room anymore, but surrounded by high metal walls that looked impossible to climb over. There are a few openings which makes me think that I was now possibly in a maze._

_I look up to see if I would see the same ceiling. And there they were. The big red numbers which were already counting down._

_The game had just begun._

* * *

Author's Note: Ahhhhh! Finally done with this chapter phew... Once again thank you if you're still reading this story! And don't hesitate to leave a review if you have a question, if you want to clarify something, or if you just want to give suggestions about my writing style ;) And for those of you who's been dying to see Killua enter the story... See you all in the next chapter! *wink*wink*


	4. 4

**Disclaimer: **I do not own hunterxhunter. All characters and plot of the said manga/anime is under the intellectual property of Yoshihiro Togashi. This is a work of pure fiction whereas names, OC's, places, or events are products of the author's imagination. If there is any resemblance to actual/real persons, places, or events, then it is pure coincidence.

* * *

_Case File #4_

_1.20.2008_

_Dr. Navi Riche_

_Due to unforeseen external factors, 0023, 0012, and 0011 have been forced to compromise and resign from this mission. 0007 will still keep its covert role and continue the espionage alone. We will not be sending any reinforcements to replace the Matryoshkaz that resigned from the mission in order to avoid any suspicion. Moreover, this is an opportunity to conduct further observations on the skills of 0007 as a Sparrow and, for research purposes, develop our system in manufacturing Matryoshkaz as soldiers, spies, or assassins. As of now, 0007 has not shown any signs of deficiencies with the skillset needed from a Sparrow._

_Mission Status: Ongoing_

* * *

Volume 1: Chapter 4

The Maze

_The game had just begun._

_"Damn it!" I softly curse under my breath and try to recollect myself. My first thought was to call out to Gold or Blue but I immediately disregard the idea after remembering what the mannequin said. This wasn't a simple game. This was a game that involved killing. Though I'm not fully certain that any of the kids here with me would be capable of that, I'm not in a position to be complacent._

_After a few seconds of calming down, I carefully look at my surroundings; there was one wall in front of me without any openings, on my left side there were two openings, on the right there was one, and behind me was a long path that split into two sides at the very end. _

_I look around again for more clues in case I missed something but all of the walls looked identical. I knew that I shouldn't just randomly choose a path or I'll just end up in a wild goose chase and so I push myself to think of a plan or what to do. I glance at the wall in front of me and start to walk closer to touch its surface. I look up and tried to estimate how high the wall was – probably around twenty feet._

_Immediately, I pat myself down to see if I could find anything useful on me. I already checked earlier after I woke up but I wanted to double check. In the end, I found nothing useful for the situation I was in. I was only wearing a plain yellow dress that reached above my knees with white ruffles at the tip which came in full circle. My sleeves and collar also had the same white ruffles. I was also wearing a pair of black doll shoes with heels about an inch high. I decided to take off my shoes in order to move around more freely._

_I check the clock above and see that about five minutes had passed._

_In frustration, I comb my hands through my hair then feel something cold and hard. I pull it out and find a hairpin in one of my hands. It was bigger than my palm and was embedded with tiny jewels. I look at the wall once again and attempt to make a scratch on it using my hair pin. It worked._

_An idea quickly pops in my head as I reach out to the wall but then I immediately hesitate and pull back my hand. With how smooth and clear the metal walls were, one single marking would definitely be easy to spot if one was paying attention. If I were to make markings on the walls would it be dangerous if ever it would lead someone to me? Would that person be hostile or friendly?_

_For some reason, I remember Gold's words – _"As long as we stick together, we'll get through all of this."

_It sounded foolish but… I want to believe in his words. I definitely don't want to kill anyone and I'm sure the same applies to every frightened child that's probably aimlessly running around in this maze. Whoever the people are behind this game, I'm not going to let them turn me into an inhumane being._

_With a newfound goal, I scratch the hairpin against the wall in front of me and leave an X mark, then I quickly run towards the right opening. I repeat what I did on the wall of the path I just entered and leave an arrow mark pointing towards the area I was originally in. Before proceeding to the next path, I pondered whether to leave a clue indicating that it was me who left the markings – preferably a clue that only Blue or Gold would recognize. Objectively speaking, out of all the kids, they seemed the smartest and most observant, and I would feel much safer if it was either of the two of them who'd come to me. Finally, I scratch the hairpin on the wall once again and leave a mark of number "3" above the arrow – since they're the only ones who know that I was the third to wake up and that the rest of the kids started to wake up in groups, unlike Gold, Blue and I who woke up individually. I then move on to the next path._

_For about an hour, I continued the same process again and again. After that, I decided to follow my markings back to the starting point in case they disappeared or in the worst case scenario – the maze was changing. After all, this game and the people behind it are unpredictable. _

_I start to retrace my steps and thankfully, the markings were still there and the maze didn't change at all. In just approximately thirty minutes, I arrive back at my starting point with the X mark. _

_With short contemplation, I decide to rest for a few minutes and catch my breath before entering another path. Once again, I proceed to repeat the plan I had._

_An hour passed. _

_Then two hours._

_Then three._

_Anxiety starts to crawl into my skin as I realize how odd it was that I haven't encountered a single person yet, moreover, it's been awfully quiet, like I was the only one in this maze. But instead of holding on to the thoughts, I try to break away from the anxiety trying to consume me and choose to keep going. _

_And suddenly, as if someone was reading my mind, a scream stretched out – it was a boy's. He was screaming for help and I instinctively and foolishly ran towards the direction it most probably came from._

_The sound of a distressed voice crying out for someone to help him continued to echo and for the first few seconds of running, I wonder why in the world am I running towards danger? At one moment, I cursed my body for unconsciously moving all on its own, and in the next, without warning, I run into something hard enough to knock me into the ground. I immediately feel the pain rush through my body because of the impact, but I push myself to quickly sit up and brace for whatever was to happen._

_My eyes widen as I recognize the familiar figure also lying on the ground in front of me. _

_"… Blue…?"_

_He abruptly sits up in recognition of his name. I could physically see that his face was drained of color – he looked paler than before – well, it would be more of a surprise if it wasn't. Though initially, he looked terror-stricken, the moment he looked up and recognized me, relief spread on his face. "R-red?... Thank goodness…" he quickly stands up and gives me a hand. "You don't know how relieved I am to see you…" he muttered._

_I stand up with his help and replied, "Me too." _

_His trembling hand continued to hold on to mine. He may have been more panicky than me, and he may seem like he was a few years older, but nevertheless, we were both afraid. I gripped his hand to reassure him. He gave a weak smile and let go._

_"Were you running towards the voice?" he asked._

_I nod at him in reply. "You too?" _

_"Yeah… I don't know why but for some reason my body moved on its own." He said while repeating his mannerism. "It's like... I felt like I needed to help that person."_

_With my eyebrows raised in surprise, I continue. "That's odd. I also felt the same thing. Even though I knew it wouldn't be wise to go to the source of the voice, my body started running towards it anyway."_

_He hummed while looking down then suddenly glanced up at me like he remembered something. "Did you leave those markings?" He asked while pointing to the arrows on one side of a wall._

_"Yes."_

_"I had a feeling that was the case… Good thing you also thought of leaving the mark '3'. That's what pushed me to follow it. You probably only wanted me or Gold to figure out the clue and come to you, right?"_

_I have noticed this, even in the little time we've been together – despite of Blue's feeble and shaky exterior, he was surprisingly quite observant and sharp._

_Since I didn't say anything, he continued. "W-well… what should we do?" he reverted back to his shaky voice, "You… don't plan on killing me or anyone else right? Because I don't either."_

_"No." I reply firmly, "Of course not."_

_"Do you have a plan?"_

_I pause and think for a moment then said, "It may be risky but maybe we should go to the source of the voice we heard."_

_Clear hesitation and doubt crossed his face as he replies, "Are you sure? I know this sounds weird coming from someone who was just about to go there, but we don't know what happened and we don't have anything to protect ourselves from."_

_"We'll do it quietly and discreetly of course." I said while putting a hand on his shoulder. "It's already been more than three hours of silence and nothing has happened yet. You haven't encountered anyone else before me right?"_

_He nods._

_"Then if we avoid that voice we heard we might end up as sitting ducks, not knowing how to escape from this."_

_Blue stays silent for a few seconds but nods at me with a fragile smile, "Okay… Let's go."_

_Immediately, we start to walk briskly towards the direction of the voice that we heard. For around ten minutes, the two of us discuss and try to analyze which paths we should take along the way. Eventually, we fall into a cautious and guarded silence when Blue speaks up, "Um… Red…?"_

_I glance sideways for he was walking beside me. "Yes?"_

_He lowers his head and stays silent. I patiently wait for him to continue. He looks up at me and softly mutters, "I'm sorry… About before… I mean…" I tilt my head, wondering what he was sorry about. He seems to notice my gesture because he continues, "Before we got separated… I kind of lashed out on you and indirectly called you inhuman. That was unfair of me… Sorry…"_

_"Oh…" I had almost forgotten about that. "It's okay. You were just scared and I've put it behind me already. I'm just glad that we managed to run into each other." I look at him in the eye and smile, "Having you as company puts me more at ease."_

_He blushes but immediately recollects himself. "Y-yeah… Me too."_

_Oddly enough, it feels like I'm trying to comfort a younger child, when the roles should have been reversed. "Anyway…" I continue, "We should –"_

_Before I say anything else, another scream rips through the air. It was the same voice we heard and it sounded closer now. Blue and I could easily tell and estimate where it came from. We run towards the voice and stop before turning another corner. At the moment, we could clearly hear a boy shouting for help just around the corner. The two of us nod at each other and we carefully peak at the corner._

_I could feel Blue try to hold in his gasp as we beheld the sight before us. There were two bodies lying on the ground – one looked like a girl smaller than me lying down on a pool of blood, while the other… I could not even tell what or who it was… It looked like the remains of a body that was hit by a grenade or bomb. I look around to find who the owner of the voice was and I see a boy with a physical built that was larger than ours, backed up at one wall, crouching down and crying while shouting for help._

_After making sure that there isn't any other threat around, I step out of the corner and carefully approach the boy. He notices me and desperately says, "Please… H-help… Help me…"_

_I kneel down in front of him but chose to remain in a safe distance – enough to immediately escape when something goes wrong. I can hear Blue walk up behind me, staying alert and watching out for anything that suddenly pops out just like we talked about. "We want to help you but for us to do that you have to calm down first okay?" I tell the boy with the most soothing voice I could muster up._

_He continues to cry but eventually sobers down._

_"Your nickname?" I ask._

_"… J…"_

_"What happened here?"_

_"There… was four of us… Th-then he… H-he… He…" J's voice started to shake again._

_I notice his eyes dart towards the discombobulated body. Blue must've noticed it too because we both glance at it at the same time but immediately turn away in disgust. J must've been referring to that body so we waited patiently for him to recollect himself._

_"He was going crazy…" the boy continued. "He was breaking down a-a-and he started to shout at no one… But… he was probably talking to the people behind this game… He shouted that he was giving up… That he surrendered… He begged them to just kill him immediately… He said he would rather die quickly than k-kill someone else or be killed slowly by a-amateurs…." _

_"Then?" Blue urged him to continue but used a calm voice._

_"T-then… He gripped his chest… And… And… coughed up blood… He looked like he was in so much pain… The three of us couldn't do anything…" J pulled his knees closer to his chest and gripped his hair with two hands. "I don't know how but he looked like he …. Exploded…" _

_"…What…?" Blue asked in disbelief and fear._

_I look at J and see the trauma in his eyes as he recalled the memories of what transpired in the area we were in. _

_"We can't escape this game…" J's body starts to tremble more after each word. "They… They can kill us even without touching us! We'll die if we say we give up… They'll kill us if we don't play!"_

_I try to stay calm but deep down fear starts to pull me down in an abyss. "Where… Where's the other child you were with?" I ask and try to hide the shakiness in my voice. "There were four of you right?" _

_So far I've only seen two dead bodies and J. So who was the other one?_

_Thankfully, J manages to hear my question and answers, "She was quiet… I think her name was Sky… Immediately, after he exploded… Sky pushed that little girl to the ground." He glanced at the girl's dead body. "And… and banged her head to the floor again and again and again and again!" J hugs his knees tightly but nevertheless, continues to tell his story, "She wasn't human… Who would do something like that without batting an eye? She looked so cold…" He then looks up at me and the guilt in his eyes was clear, "But so am I! I didn't… I didn't do anything… I just watched her… kill that girl… I was afraid…"_

_Blue and I stayed silent. That was the only thing we could do at that moment. Stand still and stay silent._

_"After that…" J continues, "Sky disappeared…"_

_I furrow my brows in confusion, "Disappear? What do you mean?"_

_"Exactly what it meant..." He replied._

_"Disappear?" Blue asks, "As in 'vanished into thin air'?"_

_J nods in confirmation._

_I stand up and turn away from the crying boy and pull Blue aside. I make sure we were out of earshot from J before we start discussing._

_"What now? It seems like we have no other choice but to …" Blue didn't finish his sentence. I could tell he didn't want to. He was slightly trembling but I could see his great efforts in trying to stay calm._

_"I… I don't know…" I reply truthfully. "Just… Let me think first…"_

_I remember the conviction I had before all of this. I was so determined to think of a plan and escape but now… It all seemed impossible. What would Gold do if he were here with us?_

_How foolish I was._

_Believing in his words._

_Then all of a sudden, I feel someone tackle me to the cold white floor. I fall face first into the ground and shout out in pain as my nose bridge breaks. The person who pushed me forcefully rolls my body to face upward then quickly places his hands around my throat and squeezes. _

_It was all happening so fast. J was so much bigger than me so I had no chance of escaping his grip. I clawed at his hands, trying to gasp for air. Tears roll down from my eyes and blood drips down from my nose. "They'll kill me if I don't kill first! I don't want to die! Please!" He yelled at me like he was begging which was an unlikely tone for someone who was trying to kill. "Please just die! Die! Die! Die –"_

_Blue knocks J off of me with a hard shove. The impact was so strong that J rolls away from me on the ground a few times. I finally take a deep breath and hold my throat. I felt agonizing pain but I still manage to sit up. "Can you stand?" Blue asks urgently._

_I attempt to stand but my body doesn't listen to me. My head was a blur and throbbing in pain, probably because of the fall I had earlier. Knowing the answer to his question, Blue puts himself between me and J, standing protectively. "Don't worry I won't leave you."_

_"What the hell are you doing?!" J shouted at Blue. Clearly, he was out of control now. He looks like he had gone mad. His eyes were filled with a combination of dismay, bloodlust, dread, and malice. "Don't interfere! You should be thankful I chose to kill her and not you!"_

_"You bastard… So you were just acting?... you're out of it." I hear Blue mutter softly. But it didn't sound like him._

_"You idiots! That's why I was screaming for help in the first place! Don't you get it yet! We have to kill to survive this game! Now out of my way!" J lunges at Blue who easily stops him despite of their difference in built. Blue punches J at the face, causing him to stumble backwards. J awkwardly balances himself and attempts to punch back at Blue._

_Suddenly, in one swift movement, Blue holds on to J's outstretched arm and lifts both of his legs to wrap them around his neck, with J's arm – the arm he was holding on to – trapped inside his leg wrap. The two of them fall on the floor with a thud. J, who wasn't ready for Blue's sudden attack, desperately gasps for air while trying to pull Blue's legs off to escape._

_I could only sit there and watch. J was clearly bigger than Blue, but it didn't look like he could escape Blue's lock on him anytime soon. The panicky boy that I was with is nowhere to be found, the look on Blue's face was the look of someone with the intent to… kill._

_Fearing what he might do, I reach out my hand and attempt to call out, "Blue…"_

_Before I say anything else, a cracking sound filled the air as Blue abruptly twists his legs. J's hands go limp and I could no longer hear his gasps for air. Blue immediately pushes J's body away from him, but this time his face was once again filled with panic. He looks at his hands like he was confused at what he just did, as if he was possessed by a completely different person for a few seconds._

_"M-my… my body… just moved on its own…" he weakly muttered then looked at me, "Why? … Why do I know how to do that?"_

_He looked so desperate to receive an answer that it pained me because I could not give him one. I was in a state of shock just like him. I lift up my trembling right hand, wondering why it suddenly felt wet and warm, only to realize that I fell on the pool of blood of the little girl's corpse. I lifted my other hand then placed my palm on my forehead and gripped my hair, wondering why the hell any of this is happening. My mind is a mess and I zoned out of the situation I was in. However, a blurry voice managed to break into my rambling thoughts._

_"Red…"_

_"Red…"_

_"Red! Let's go! He cleared the game. He's going to disappear any moment now."_

_I can hear him. I can clearly hear Gold's voice. But I stayed on my knees and stared into the lifeless eyes of J's body. Then I looked at Blue. His eyes were full of fear, confusion, and distraught – like a sea in the middle of a storm._

_I can feel Gold pulling me up by tugging my arm, shouting at my ear._

_"Red! Focus! Pull yourself together!"_

_I did not resist Gold's pulls as he started dragging me away. But I couldn't tear my eyes away from Blue. To be more precise, it felt more like I did not want to. I could clearly see the torment in those ocean blue eyes, as if he were pleading me not to leave him alone. He did not utter a word. Still, I waited. And waited. Until, he suddenly vanishes, the only trace of his existence being the corpse of a child that he killed. _

_Finally, I recollect myself and carry my own weight. I look at Gold who still manages to smile at me. I know that behind his smile was a mind in the midst of chaos, but he still chose to smile to reassure me and prevent me from panicking._

_"Red… Are you okay?"_

_"I'm fine now." I immediately reply out of reflex, even though those words were the opposite of what I felt inside._

_I look up at the numbers once again. There were less than eight hours left._

* * *

"Erin… Erin!"

The redhead looked up at the boy who called out to her. He stood beside her, wondering why she hasn't gotten out of her seat yet.

"We're here. See?" he pointed at the screen on top of the elevator doors. Erin looked at what he pointed at.

"Oh. Yes, you're right." She replied while standing up and walked alongside Gon towards the elevator doors that have not opened yet.

"What? Were you daydreaming, little brat?" Leorio, who was now standing in front of the doors, asked. With the tone of voice that he used, he sounded like he was trying to rile her up. Erin simply ignored Leorio which only made him more ticked off. His attempt in annoying the girl only ended up backfiring.

Gon dropped his smile and asked her, "Are you okay?"

Erin turned to the boy and stared at his golden eyes that were full of concern. She smiled then said with a very calm voice, "Of course, I am."

A dinging sound echoed in the elevator room and was promptly followed by the doors opening.

"Are you sure, Erin?" Kurapika asked as well, while walking out the elevator along with the others. "You looked quite… distracted ever since the navigators escorted us."

Erin kept a pleasant expression. _These people are too observant and kind for their own good, _she thought. In her mind, she couldn't help but sigh. _I guess it is my fault. Looks like I am getting a little rusty. _

The redhead smiled, "Yes, I'm fine."

Still, the innocent boy didn't look quite convinced. With the brightest smile ever he then says, "Just tell me if there's anything wrong. We are friends after all."

Kurapika and Leorio couldn't help but smile at the pure kindness of the boy.

"…Okay." Erin replied then turned to look at the place where the elevator has brought them.

The four stood in front of a crowd of people that watched them intensely after exiting the elevator.

"Strange atmosphere down here." Leorio mumbled to his companions.

The Kurta nodded in agreement, "They clearly are different from the other applicants we've encountered so far. Each is a master, in their own right…"

Gon stepped forward first and attempted to talk to a few of the applicants near them, only to be blatantly and intentionally ignored.

"Everyone's really tense." He added while slightly pouting his lips.

Erin stepped beside Gon and commented, "Well you can't really expect a welcoming party in the Hunter Exam."

The boy scratched the back of his head and sheepishly smiled at his friend, "I guess you're right."

"Hello!" a very short man with a head shaped like a green bean approached Leorio and offered him a small circle badge with a number on it. "Please take one."

The man proceeded to hand another badge to Kurapika, Gon, then lastly Erin.

The four looked at their newly received badges. The redhead stared at the number on her badge – it was 406. She glanced at everyone else's and immediately started to memorize their numbers out of habit.

"Be sure to wear this on your chest at all times." The bean man continued, "Be careful not to lose it." He smiled warmly at them, quite ironic for the tense atmosphere they were in. Erin angelically smiled and thanked him to which he replied with a slight bow, "You're welcome," he said then he walked away.

"Haven't seen you guys before." The four looked towards whoever owned the voice. It belonged to a fat man who was walking towards them. "Yo!" He said while wearing a friendly smile.

"You can tell we're new?" Gon asked curiously.

"Well… More or less." The stout man replied. "After all, this is my thirty-fifth attempt." He said proudly.

"Thirty-five times!?" Gon and Leorio exclaimed simultaneously.

The stout man placed one on his chest and extended the other with pride and said, "Well, you can say I'm an exam veteran."

Leorio and Kurapika immediately looked at each other. The man whispered, "That isn't something to brag about you know…"

"Indeed." The Kurta whispered back in agreement.

"Wow. How impressive mister." Erin politely complimented the stout man who scratched the back of his head in embarrassment and replied, "Oh, it's nothing really."

_Dude, she's clearly being sarcastic. _Leorio thought to himself. After all, being the victim of Erin's constant verbal attacks made him feel like everything she says is sarcastic. _But I have to admit, it's kind of nice seeing her do it to someone else other than me. Go on Erin! Roast this dude!_

The redhead smiled at the fat man, "It really makes one wonder how you're not dead yet."

_Okay I take back what I said. Why does this girl have to go the morbid route?_

The stout man looked clearly taken aback by her comment because it definitely did not match the kind and warm expression she was wearing. "U-um…" he stuttered but regained his composure. "If you have any questions, feel free to ask me."

"Thanks!" Gon beamed in gratitude at his generous offer.

"My name is Tonpa." The stout man extended his hand.

The energetic boy shook his hand, "I'm Gon!... And this is Erin." He gestured to the redhead standing beside him who also extended her hand for a handshake. Tonpa didn't want to accept it but in order to avoid an awkward atmosphere, he put on a fake smile and took it. "These are Kurapika and Leorio." Gon continued to introduce the friends who were behind him then proceeded to ask Tonpa, "Hey, are there also others who have taken the exam a few times like you?"

"Well, I have the most experience here, so I can name a few." He looked at the crowd of applicants and pointed at one applicant, "There's him…" Tonpa continued to provide information to the group about the other veterans who were taking the exam along with their strengths and specialties. "There are many more, but the ones I mentioned have taken this exam more times than the others."

"I see. Thank you Tonpa-san!" Gon said.

"Don't mention it. So do you have any other questions? I'd be happy to –"

Before Tonpa could continue what he was about to say, a man started screaming. Everyone quickly looked towards where the commotion might have been happening. In the middle of the crowd, a man wearing a cape fell to his knees as both his arms disintegrate into red flower petals.

"Oh? How peculiar…" A tall pale man who looked he was part of a circus troupe said. He stood by and watched with his arms crossed. The poor man continued to scream in agony. "His arms seem to have become flower petals." With a mischievous tone, he lifted both his arms to show innocence. "No smoke and mirrors here." He maliciously grinned at the man who had just lost both arms. "Do take care. When you bump into someone, make sure you apologize."

Every single person in the tunnel didn't dare to utter a word. The tense atmosphere that surrounded them began to feel heavier after the incident.

"That psychopath is back again…" Tonpa murmured to the four. He was far away from the circus man but he acted like he could hear him if he spoke normally.

Gon looked at Tonpa. "Again?"

"Does that mean he took last year's exam?" Kurapika asked.

Tonpa nodded. "Number 44. Hisoka, the magician. You guys should stay away from him. Last year, he was sure to pass the exam. He only failed because he killed an examiner he didn't like."

Leorio clearly didn't like the sound of that as he reacted, "E-eh?! And they're still allowing him to take the exam this year?"

"Makes sense." Erin commented and looked at Leorio. "There's always a new set of examiners every year and they're the ones who determine what type of tests there are."

"She's right." Tonpa followed and grimly said, "Even the devil himself could pass if the examiner allows it. That's just how the Hunter exam works."

"Well… he does look dangerous. That's for sure." Leorio said and turned to Erin. "By the way, it seems like you know a lot about the nature of the Hunter Exam. Don't tell me... you're a re-taker as well?"

"It's called extensive research." Erin replied with a smile and whispered to Leorio. "If you don't want to end up like Tonpa-san then I suggest you try it sometime too."

Once again Leorio snapped at Erin and started to bombard her with futile retorts. Kurapika didn't even bother to stop him since he was already getting used to it now.

"Oh right! A little something to mark our acquaintance." Tonpa reached into his sling bag and pulled out a drink.

Leorio immediately stopped barking at Erin and noticed Tonpa's offer. "Oh! Thanks! I was getting thirsty."

Tonpa handed a drink to each one of them. They all thanked him and clinked their canned juices together while saying, "Cheers!"

The fat man internally snickered at the four fools who easily accepted his drinks. _The juice I gave you contains an extremely strong laxative. Just one sip, and for three days, your guts will be a non-stop rollercoaster! Ha! _Tonpa couldn't wait to see these rookies fail. But then he felt a pair of eyes on him. He looked at who they belonged to and it was Erin – smiling at him daintily and at the same time… eerily. Gon, Leorio, and Kurapika had already opened their drinks. But for some reason, Erin just continued to hold on to hers._ Sh*t. Did she notice?... No way! My acting was perfect!_

"Is there something wrong Erin?" Tonpa asked the girl with the friendliest smile he had ever given.

Kurapika noticed Erin's actions and decided to subtly hold back in drinking his canned juice. Gon and Leorio, being the oblivious ones, started to bring the drink towards their mouths.

"No. There's nothing wrong." She replied. "I'm just waiting."

"Waiting…?" Tonpa was starting to get antsy. "For what?"

Suddenly, Gon spitted out the juice that he had just sipped.

_W-what?! _Tonpa couldn't even hide the surprise in his face.

"Tonpa-san… This juice must've expired already." Gon said.

Immediately, Leorio spitted out his juice in the air as well. "Seriously! That was a close one." He exclaimed in relief while wiping his mouth.

"H-huh? That's strange…" Tonpa stiffly scratched the back of his head. _Impossible! That laxative should have no taste or scent!_

Kurapika was already slightly suspicious of Tonpa suddenly offering them drinks and he was having doubts whether to drink the juice or not, but he wanted to see how Gon or Erin would react to this. He trusted Gon's senses and Erin's perceptiveness. Now that it seemed like his suspicions were justified, he calmly poured out his drink in front of Tonpa.

The stout man went down on his knees and apologized at the four. "I'm sorry! I didn't realize that the juice must've gone bad."

Gon, being a kindred soul, replied, "It's okay! You don't have to apologize. Is your stomach okay?"

"Y-yes! I'm fine."

"You see, I've sampled all kinds of mountain grasses and plants so I can usually taste when something is bad." Gon smiles at him warmly.

"R-really…? That's… a-amazing" Tonpa replied while awkwardly laughing. _Damn… I just had to run into this wild mountain kid! _And after hearing what the boy said, Tonpa immediately glanced at Erin and remembered what she said earlier about waiting. _Don't tell me… That b*itch! She must've already knew that this boy would figure it out so she waited. _Erin noticed him glancing at her so she slowly gave Tonpa a small smile that almost looked like a smirk to him. _Tsk! She didn't even bother to call me out, she just wanted to mock me! _Tonpa stood up and quickly made his exit. "Sorry about that again. I'll see you around." He waved and walked away.

"What a talkative old man…" Leorio murmured.

Kurapika moved closer to Erin and whispered, "Do you think he put something in the drinks?"

The redhead glanced at the Kurta. _This guy really is sharp. I have to be extra careful around him. _"Yeah… Who would bring a bag full of canned juices to the Hunter exam?" she whispered back, "It was quite obvious."

"What's obvious?" Gon suddenly jumped into the duo's conversation.

Kurapika and Erin looked at each other and immediately had a silent agreement. "No, it was nothing Gon." The Kurta said.

"Really?"

"Well…" Erin continued. "We were talking about how awfully pungent Leorio's cologne was. He's being too obvious."

"What the hell? Why are you sh*t talking me again!?"

"I wasn't though?" Erin elegantly placed a hand over her chest. "I was only concerned for you."

"The hell you were!"

Gon sniffed at Leorio then said, "She's right. Your cologne really is strong. It has a unique smell."

Leorio stomped his feet and barked at the boy. "Would you please stop sniffing me like a dog!"

"Sorry." The boy scratched the back of his head and grinned sheepishly. "I just wanted to make sure. I was curious!"

Erin folded her arms and spoke again. "We still don't know the content of the exam. If ever hunting each other would be involved, then that would make you an easy target. Right, Kurapika?"

"I agree with her." The Kurta folded his arms and decided to just play along with Erin. _It's quite scary how she can easily shift the conversation like that._

"Well I can't really remove cologne that's already been applied ya' know! So what do you suggest huh? I'll just strip my clothes right here?!" Leorio was getting aggravated more and more.

"Well… that's really all up to you, Leorio." Erin said then placed a hand over her mouth, appearing like she was surprised. "But I didn't expect you to be that undignified. Honestly, I thought more highly of you."

"YOU LITTLE BRAT!"

Kurapika could only sigh and rub the right temple of his head for the rant that was about to come. _How did the conversation go to this?_

Suddenly, the sound of a bell echoed in the tunnel like an alarm. At the other end, the wall started to slowly go upwards, revealing a man wearing a purple suit at the other side. All of the applicants placed their attention on the man as he spoke. "I apologize for the wait. The entry period for applicants has ended. The Hunter Exam will now begin! A final caution… If you believe you lack luck or ability, you will most likely end up seriously injured or dead. Those who accept the risks, please follow me. And for those who don't, please exit via the elevator behind you."

Despite of the man's grim warnings, not a single person moved a muscle.

"Very well. All 405 applicants will participate in Phase One." He turned around then started walking like a robot with big exaggerated movements. Everyone started to walk as well and follow him.

Then he quickened his pace into a jog.

"W-what?" Leorio asked in confusion, noticing the change of pace.

"The people in front started running." Gon commented.

Kurapika nodded. "Yeah. He's picked up the pace."

"I neglected to introduce myself." The man leading the crowd announced. "I am Satotz, the Phase One examiner. I shall lead you to the exam's Second Phase."

"Eh? Second Phase?" Leorio looked at his companions running beside him.

Erin raised her eyebrows. "Then… does that mean…"

Kurapika continued her unfinished sentence. "This is…"

The redhead and the Kurta looked at each other. Realizing they were thinking the same thing, they simultaneously said, "Phase One."

As if to confirm their guess, Satotz stated. "Phase One has already commenced!" The whole crowd of applicants burst into murmurs. Some were confused, while the others merely stayed quiet. "I cannot tell you where or when we must arrive. You must only follow me to the Exam's Phase Two."

"Really?" Leorio asked. "We just have to follow him?"

"I see how it is…" The Kurta muttered.

"This test is weird." Gon commented and slightly furrowed his eyebrows.

"I expect it's an endurance test. Fine by me!" Leorio exclaimed, full of determination. "I'll be right behind you!"

"Be careful, Leorio." Erin warned him. "He's also testing our mental fortitude. Keep your eyes open."

The man couldn't hold back his surprise. He didn't really expect the little brat to be worried about him. _Heh! I knew she was a good kid. She's just trying to act cold and snarky towards me. _"Of course!" Leorio replied to her, "Don't worry about me!"

Erin wanted to sigh but held herself back. _Of course I'm not worried about you, I'm worried about Gon. _She glanced at the boy. _If Leorio gets caught up in something dangerous then Gon would definitely be involved. He's just too good of a kid to leave that idiotic man behind. _

The boy must've noticed Erin looking at him because he turned towards her and gave her an encouraging smile. Erin returned the gesture.

And deep down… for the first time, she didn't know if her smile was real or not.

* * *

**Author's Note: **Yes... I know... I AM SORRY! T_T It's been tooooo long and Killua didn't appear in this chapter huhuhu I was really having a hard time writing this chapter. When I finished the original draft, I didn't realize that it was too freaking long haha so I edited it again and that's why Killua will end up appearing in the next chapter. GOMENASAI! T_T

Anyways, as always, thanks for continuing to follow and stick to this story! Til' next time! :3


End file.
